Hopeless
by dark-ninja-ayane
Summary: She’s another Jyuunishi that everyone’s completely forgotten about. Her animal doesn’t even exist in the zodiac. She acts tough and cool on the outside, but what does she keep locked up inside? What is she hiding? And what is Akito planning to do? kyoxoc
1. One More

**Hopeless Chapter 1- One More**

"Ahhhhhhhhh," Shigure stretched. "What a beautiful morning."

"Shi-Shigure-san?" a female voice said, seeming slightly surprised.

"Hm?" Shigure asked as he turned to his backyard to see a young, cute girl with silver hair almost down to the middle of her back, and black eyes. It took him a while before he realized who she was. "Ah! Sayora-chan. Sorry, sorry. I was a bit surprised there. You've grown up so much that I didn't even recognize you anymore," he lied with a smile on his face, trying to hide the fact that he almost forgotten about her even though she probably already knew.

"Shigure san!" she yelled, seeming happy. "I thought I would never find out where you lived! Following directions that Hatsuharu-san gave me wasn't easy. Damn cow… anyway, Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun are here too, right?"

Yuki happened to walk into the living room arguing with Kyo. They both stopped when they noticed Sayora. It took Yuki a while to remember who she was. Kyo however, rudely blurted out,

"Who the hell are you?"

Shigure and Yuki both looked nervously at Sayora who had balled her hand into a fist, resisting the urge to run it into Kyo's face.

"Kyo-kun, don't you remember?" Shigure asked, smiling nervously. "That's Sayora-chan."

"Who the hell is that?" Kyo asked, angering Sayora more.

Sayora was used to people not remembering her, but she trained with Kyo for nearly a year when they were younger. They had almost been best friends but here Kyo was, saying that he doesn't remember her a bit.

"Could you try to be smart for once?" Yuki asked.

"Shut up you damn mouse!" Kyo shouted.

Tohru ran out of the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.

"Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun! Are you two fighting again!" she asked worriedly, noticing the other girl that was with them in the living room. "Oh! Hello!" Tohru greeted.

"Hiiiiii, Tohru-kun!" Shigure greeted cheerfully with a big smile.

"Um, who is this?" Tohru asked politely.

"Oh, her?" Shigure asked. "This is Sayora-chan."

"Uh, hello!" Tohru said, stuttering a bit. "I'm Honda Tohru! It's really nice to meet you!"

Tohru bowed to her as Sayora bowed back slightly, acknowledging her. Sayora looked a bit confused.

"What's she doing here?" Sayora asked.

"Why the hell should you care?" Kyo asked rudely. "It's not like you're living here."

"Actually-" Sayora began before she was cut off by Kyo.

"Damnit! Don't tell me that you're gonna be living here! These three are already more than I can stand! I don't need another person annoying the hell outta me!"

"Shut up!" Yuki defended. "_You're_ more than _any_ of us can stand so who are you to talk? Stupid cat!"

"Shut up! Stupid rat!" Kyo shouted back.

"Kyo-kun," Tohru said a bit worried.

Kyo growled in irritation as he was about to stomped off to his room. The second he put his foot down, he jerked it back because of a nail sticking out of the floor. He lost his balance and fell backwards towards Sayora. Tohru panicked as Kyo fell on top of her, but looked confused when he didn't transform.

"Ow! Damnit! Get off!" Sayora ordered. "You're not as light as you think!"

"Shut up!" Kyo commanded. "You're just weak!"

"K-Kyo-kun! You didn't transform! How come you're not a-" Tohru stopped. She finally understood. "Sayora-san, you're not a Jyuunishi, are you?"

"She knows?" Sayora asked. "How in the world did _that_ happen?"

"Kyo was being an idiot," Yuki answered.

"That's your typical Kyo-kun for you," Sayora sighed.

An angry Kyo tried to stay calm. Tohru looked at Sayora as if she just discovered gold.

"Sayora-san! That's so wonderful!" Tohru exclaimed. "You're also a Jyuunishi!" Tohru paused for a moment, then asked, "But, what zodiac animal do you represent then? Aren't all of the signs already taken, or was there one that I didn't know about?"

"Well, actually… it's more like… her animal doesn't exist in the zodiac you see…" Shigure said, knowing that Sayora was uncomfortable with discussing that topic, but continued on anyway. "Unlike Kyo-kun's, who exists in the zodiac buy just isn't included, hers is nonexistent. Of course we have no idea why this is, but she's the wolf. It has absolutely no connection or history with the zodiac."

"The wolf? That's really cool!" Tohru exclaimed again, confusing Sayora. "Even if it's not related to the zodiac, who cares, right?"

Sayora glared at the puzzled Tohru. "I do!" she shouted angrily. "Just because-!"

"Sayora-chan," Shigure cut her off, even though he didn't know why she suddenly got angry either. "I really hope you don't mind sleeping on one of the couches like Kyo-kun," Shigure said, changing the subject completely.

"Whatever," she said, calming down.

"Why the hell do you have to stay here?" Kyo asked. "Why don't you just go back to the Main House?"

"Because I don't like the Main House," she simply replied.

"So what!" Kyo shouted to her. "You think you can just invite yourself over then!"

"I just did!" Sayora shouted back.

Shigure sighed. "Why did Akito-san have to fill my peaceful house with these noisy and destructive people?"

**-Much Later-**

"Well, I guess I'll be making dinner now," Tohru said nervously as she walked into the kitchen.

"Damn cat!" Sayora shouted.

"Idiot wolf!" Kyo shouted back.

"They're even worst than you and Kyo-kun," Shigure sighed. "They haven't stopped arguing for even one minute since she arrived."

"It's a good thing we don't have neighbors," Yuki commented tiredly.

Kyo and Sayora continued arguing at the top of their lungs giving Yuki and Shigure a huge headache. After about twenty minutes, Tohru came out of the kitchen and set the food on the table.

"Uh… K-Kyo-kun, S-Sayora-san," Tohru called nervously. "Uh… l-let's e-eat."

"Stupid cat…" Sayora mumbled as she joined Yuki, Shigure, and Tohru.

"Dumb wolf," Kyo mumbled as he did the same.

Thankfully, they were able to have a quiet and peaceful dinner. After dinner was over however…

"Damn Wolf!" Kyo shouted.

"Stupid cat!" Sayora shouted back.

Yuki and Shigure sighed as Tohru looked at them both nervously. Kyo and Sayora were screaming at the top of their lungs again.

"At least you and Kyo-kun aren't fighting for the time being," Shigure said to Yuki.

"What?" Yuki asked.

"What'd you say?" Shigure asked.

"What?" Yuki asked, unable to hear anything through the two's shouting.

"I can't hear you!" Shigure tried shouting over to Yuki even though he was only sitting across from him at the dinner table.

"I can't hear you!" Yuki shouted back.

"If those three weren't here, I would've thrown you out of here and back to the Main House!" Kyo shouted. "Ah!"

Sayora's eyes suddenly widened, as if fearing something greatly. Yuki, Shigure, and Tohru's attention was fully on Sayora. She turned around and walked to the door. Tohru was about to run up to her but Yuki stopped her. The door opened and slammed shut. Since morning, the house was completely silent. Kyo wondered what he said wrong. Sayora was very hard to scare. Did something happen at the Main House that they were all unaware of?

"Kyo-kun," Shigure called, breaking to silence. "I don't think you should say anything about her going back to the Main House again. From the way she looked back there, something must've happened."

Kyo nodded.

"Shouldn't we get her?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"Yes, we should," Shigure agreed. "Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun, and I will go look for her. Tohru-kun, you should stay here, just incase she comes back. Okay?"

Tohru nodded as the three went out to look for her. Kyo and Yuki went into the forest to search for her as Shigure headed off in a different direction. He was going to go get a drink outside somewhere and let the other two search for her alone. Shigure decided that it was the best choice. After all, she was upset by something that Kyo had said, and Yuki would be able to keep them from fighting and beating each other to a bloody pulp though he probably would help Sayora.

"Sayora-san," Yuki called.

"Hey! Dumb wolf!" Kyo shouted.

"Don't say _that_!" Yuki said as he knocked Kyo's head. "That'll only make matters worse, stupid cat."

"Shut up you damn rat!" Kyo ordered. "I don't even have to be looking for that damn wolf!"

Yuki sighed. "I can't look for her with you," he said. "I'm going that way."

"Go ahead and go! It's not like I'm stopping you!" Kyo shouted again. "Just make sure you don't get mugged by guys who mistake you for a girl, damn-!"

Yuki angrily punched Kyo, sending him in the air.

"Shut up!" Yuki commanded angrily as he walked in the opposite direction, leaving Kyo where he was on the ground.

_I'll just leave Kyo to find her,_ Yuki thought. _I'm sure that it'll be okay. I'll just go back to the house later. Sayora-san, sorry that I'm leaving you alone with Kyo… it's for the best though… at least, I think it is…_

**-Kyo-**

"Where did that damn wolf get to anyway?" Kyo complained to himself. "Is she even in this forest?"

Kyo suddenly heard a whining noise. He followed the sound and it led him straight to Sayora who was sitting in one of the lower tree branches, staring at the half moon. There were three wolves below her around the tree. Kyo was a bit confused because normally, there weren't any wolves. He guessed that Sayora must've drawn them out.

"Shut up already," Sayora said to the wolves who lessened their whining.

"Hey!" Kyo called to her.

Sayora spun around, recognizing the voice right away. She saw Kyo as she expected. The wolves were growling at him, but didn't attack.

"You…" Sayora said.

"What the hell is that-!" Kyo began shouting but stopped when he noticed that Sayora looked a bit down. "What's wrong? Was it something I said? What'd I do? Huh?"

"Why the hell do you care, stupid cat!" Sayora asked.

"I was just trying to be nice you damn wolf!" Kyo shouted to her.

"Idiot cat!"

"Dumb wolf!"

"Orange fur ball!"

"Old witch!"

"Cat lover!"

"Gray mutt!"

"Hmph!"

"Tch!"

There was a moment of silence before Sayora spoke up again.

"You weren't serious, right?" she asked. "About me going back to the Main House that is."

"Whatever," Kyo replied, trying to sound angry and annoyed. "I don't care what you do. Stay if you want to. Don't let me stop you if you're as tough as you want everyone to believe."

"Thanks," Sayora said smiling slightly. "Let's go back now. The others must've been worried."

"Yeah, so worried that they dragged me out here too," Kyo said. After a pause, Kyo asked her, "Did something happen back at the Main House?"

She didn't reply.

"Hey," Kyo called.

"No…" Sayora said. "Nothing happened. Don't worry about it. It's nothing. I'm just not feeling well…"

"Damn right you're not feeling well," Kyo told her. "Tell me what happened."

"It's nothing, really," Sayora assured.

"Nothing my ass," Kyo said.

"Why are you so worried about me anyway?" Sayora teased. "Are you obsessed over me?"

"Hell no!" Kyo shouted immediately. "Who would be attracted to some tomboy anyway!"

Sayora looked at him angrily. "For your information, I've probably been asked out by over a hundred guys already you dumb cat!"

They continued arguing while walking back to Shigure's house. Tohru was standing at the front door, waiting for Kyo and Sayora to return. Yuki and Shigure joined Tohru as the two walked in arguing over nothing again.

**-Bedtime-**

"I'm sleeping on the couch!" Sayora shouted.

"No! I am!" Kyo argued.

"I-is it okay for them to be sleeping in living room like this?" Tohru asked.

"I would have her sleep in your room if not for the fact that she doesn't like sleeping in the same bedroom as another person, even if they're a girl," Shigure sighed. "See, she doesn't mind if she has to share a room like the living room, but a bedroom… she just doesn't like it…"

"Our entrance exam is tomorrow…" Yuki said to Kyo and Sayora. "Shut up so we can get some sleep."

"Who the hell said I had to go to school!" Sayora shouted at Yuki.

"Screw the entrance exam!" Kyo shouted as well. "Who the hell cares!"

"Tohru-kun does," Shigure said. "She made a promise to her mother. If she's unable to keep that promise, then it's going to be both of your faults. Do you want to take the responsibility of ruining her future? And also…" Shigure went on talking, earning a 'he's an idiot' look from everyone except for Tohru.

"Honda-san, goodnight," Yuki said.

"Yes," Tohru replied. "Goodnight Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, Sayora-san, Shigure-san."

"Let's go to bed," Sayora said. "You can take the couch."

"Yeah," Kyo agreed. "He just completely ruined the mood."

Shigure continued talking, unaware that Yuki and Tohru had already gone up to their rooms to go to bed, and that Kyo and Sayora had stopped arguing quite a while ago and are trying to go to bed. However, Shigure just didn't want to shut his mouth. All the lights were already turned out and he was still yapping away, annoying the hell out of Sayora and Kyo.

"Hey! Shut up already dammit!" Kyo and Sayora shouted furiously at Shigure.

Shigure however, just refused to shut up. They both punched Shigure out of the living room and through his sliding door.

"Hey, that's my house you're wrecking!" Shigure reminded.

"_You're_ the one who's gonna be wrecked if you don't shut the hell up!" they shouted, beyond annoyed at this point.

"Hey, hey, don't shout, you'll disturb everyone and wake them up," Shigure told them.

"_You're_ the one disturbing _us_ god dammit!" Kyo shouted.

"Kyo-kun, you need to be more polite you know."

"Shut up dammit!" Sayora shouted.

"That means you too Sayora-chan."

"Someone make him shut the hell up dammit!" Kyo and Sayora both shouted at the top of their lungs, going crazy.

**-Yuki -**

He was lying in his bed, trying to keep as calm as he possibly can. After a couple of minutes, Yuki hurled his blanket off and marched out of the room, slamming the bedroom door shut behind him. He marched into the living room and turned the light on.

"All of you just shut up already," Yuki shouted. "Honda-san and I want to sleep!"

"Yuki-kun, Yuki-kun, you shouldn't be so loud like those two," Shigure said.

Yuki got furious and joined in the argument, shouting at the top of his lungs like Kyo and Sayora.

**-Tohru-**

_Yuki-kun… thank you so much for trying to stop the argument... but you didn't have to… thank you so much… but I think that it only got worse…_ Tohru thought, lying on her bed with tears pouring out of her eyes.

**-Next Chapter's Preview-**

Hopeless Chapter 2- Entrance Exam and the Carnival

Sayora goes to school with Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru to take the entrance exam. There, she meets Momiji and Hatsuharu as well. After the exam is over, they all decide to go to the carnival that just opened a few days ago. What can go wrong… other than everything?


	2. Entrance Exam and the Carnival

**dark-ninja-ayane-** thanx everyone for reading my fanfic. im really glad that you like it so much. um, just so everyone knows, the story might get a bit more serious after this chapter. to tell you the truth, it was never suppose to be that much of a comedy. since everybody liked it so much though, i will try to keep it funny, but just so you know beforehand, there may be some chapters that are pretty serious... and yes... i know the spoiler from chapter 97 in the manga... it scared the hell outta me... i never expected that from "it"... maybe a little but anyway, im rambling so... hope you enjoy this chap!

**Hopeless Chapter 2- Entrance Exam and the Carnival**

"Why the hell do _I _have to go to school?" Sayora complained.

"Because you have to," Shigure said with the same smile on his face. "Hurry along now or you'll make Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, and Tohru-kun late Sayora-chan."

"Fine… but why do I have to where this hooker looking uniform!" Sayora shouted at him, earning weird looks from everyone.

"Excuse me?" Shigure asked. "But you look great!"

"To hell I do! I hate skirts!" Sayora shouted. "Especially ones that only go halfway down your damn ass!"

Sayora was wearing the same outfit as Tohru, a blue shirt with a white sailor collar, and a short blue skirt that went about two inches below her butt. She didn't mind wearing shorts, but she absolutely hated skirts. However, the skirt at her other school was at least covered half of her thighs.

"But Sayora-chan, that's a good thing," Shigure said, referring to her last comment. "It gives the guys something to look at and-!"

"Let's go!" Sayora furiously said after she finished clobbering Shigure to death.

"Ah! Sh-Shigure san," Tohru shouted in concern.

"Sayora-chan…" Shigure managed to say weakly.

"You perverted old man!" Kyo shouted as he followed Sayora.

"You deserved that," Yuki said as he too, followed after them. "Let's go to school Honda-san."

"B-but Shigure-san…" Tohru said.

"Don't worry about him," Yuki said. "We'll be late for the entrance exam if we don't hurry Honda-san."

"Uh… okay," Tohru said hesitantly, seeing as how Shigure was a bloody mess on the ground.

**-----At School-----**

"All right, settle down everyone," the teacher announced on the stage. "Please take your seats so we may begin the exam on time."

The four of them sat down in their seats as the teachers passed out the exam to everyone.

**-----Yuki-----**

_This exam isn't so bad… the questions are pretty easy…_

Question: What is **_x_** if **_y_** 3/7 – **_x_** + **_z_** cos 90 + 2**_z_**/7**_xz/ _**tan 23?

_The answer is 'C' obviously._

**-----Kyo-----**

_I hate entrance exams! They suck! What's the point in taking them anyway! No one cares about them! But I guess it was a good thing I studied last night… I have to beat Yuki! But then again… who wants to compete to be a nerd like that damn rat anyway? I know! I'll just beat that dumb wolf! She isn't a nerd! Argh! I'm not concentrating on the test! Okay…_

Question: What is the result when a hybrid is crossed with hybrid, then crossed with a purebred, then crossed with a hybrid?

_Let's see… a hybrid and hybrid… then a purebred… and then a hybrid… that would make 'B' the answer…_

**-----Sayora-----**

_Entrance exams suck! Even if they're not that hard… they're just a waste of time. But I studied thanks to that damn cat! I'll get a higher score than him! It's a form of competition, and that means that I have to beat him! Alright, enough of that. Time to focus on the test… _

Question: In what time period did Oda Nobunaga try to take over the Japan?

_It was after the Purgatory event… and before the Revolution… so that means 'A' is the answer…_

**-----Tohru-----**

_Okay! I promised Mother that I would finish high school and get a job and live on my own! I won't let you down! I'll try my hardest on this exam!_

Question: How many adjectives are in this sentence?

The young boy quickly ran across the wet field to get to his mother's small red car.

_It's 'A'! Uh… or is it 'C'? Or maybe it's 'B'! No! It's 'D'! Ahhhh! Which one is it? Uh… um… is it… maybe it… 'D'? Or is it not?_

**-----After the Entrance Exam Ended-----**

The teachers collected all of the exams and the students were let out of the testing hall. They had to wait outside for the scores to be put up before they could go back home.

"Just watch me get a higher score than you!" Sayora told Kyo.

"Tch! Dream on you dumb flee bag!" Kyo shouted.

"Well if you didn't do well on such an easy test, then I would be embarrassed to call you guys my cousin," Yuki said. "That test was easy, right Honda-san?"

Everyone turned to look at Tohru who had an unconfident look on her face.

"Ah! I didn't mean anything by that!" Yuki quickly said, afraid that Tohru was going to get stressed.

"Yeah! He's just a damn nerd!" Kyo said, trying to comfort Tohru, but it was more of trying to make fun of Yuki.

"Yeah! A really nerdy nerd!" Sayora said, doing to same.

Yuki punched them both face first into the wall.

"Shut up!" Yuki commanded.

The teacher finally came out and posted the test results on the bulletin board. As soon as the teacher disappeared, all the students rushed to the board to see their scores, pushing and shoving each other, all except for Yuki, Kyo, Sayora, and Tohru. It would've been impossible for the Soumas anyway, seeing as how they would transform if they joined the rest of the students.

"Sure is crowded, isn't it?" someone asked from behind.

Tohru turned around as everyone did the same. They saw Hatsuharu and Momiji.

"Momiji-kun, Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru exclaimed.

"Yo," Haru said.

"Heeeey!" Momiji greeted cheerfully. "Tohru! Kyo! Yuki! And… uh…" Momiji didn't recognize the other girl that was with them.

"So you found them," Hatsuharu said to Sayora. "You didn't run into any problems, right?"

Saoyra waved her hand as a sign for Haru to come over which he did. When he was close enough, she punched his face into the ground.

"No problem my ass!" Sayora shouted angrily. "Your shitty dumb map took me on a three day detour! You said you knew the way their like the back of your hand! Your hand must be on your ass them you dumb cow!"

"You know that I have a bad sense of direction," Haru defended himself. "Knowing that, you shouldn't have asked me for directions. So pretty much… it was your fault."

"I assumed that you knew because you said you did!" Sayora shouted.

"He has a good point Sayora-san," Yuki said. "He does have no sense of direction."

"Ah!" Momiji exclaimed loudly. "Sayora! It's you, right? I couldn't remember you for a moment there!"

Sayora looked over at Momiji who made it seem like it was normal that he had forgotten about her. Well, it was normal for the most part, but it was just the way he reacted. He made it seem like it was only natural that no one remembers her. She silently walked over to the bulletin board that was now cleared of all the people to look at her score. They were organized from the highest score to the lowest.

"Sayora-san…" Tohru said, feeling sorry for her.

Kyo punched Momiji on the head. "Don't just say something like that!" Kyo scolded. "At least don't be so cheerful about the fact that you couldn't remember her dummy!"

"Waaaahhh!" Momiji cried. "Kyo hit me! Waaahhh!"

"Kyo, don't pick on him," Yuki said to him. "You were even worse than him, remember?"

**-----Flashback-----**

"_Who the hell are you?"_

**-----End Flashback-----**

"Shut up!" Kyo shouted.

"What the hell!" Sayora suddenly shouted, making everyone jump, especially Tohru.

"What!" Tohru panicked. "Sayora-san! What's wrong!"

"How in the world did I get the same score as the stupid cat!" she shouted.

Everyone suddenly sweat dropped, even Kyo. There he was, defending her about Momiji's comment, and then she goes screaming about getting the same test score as Kyo, as if nothing had happened before.

"Hey, hey! A carnival just opened up nearby a couple days ago! Wanna go! Huh? Wanna go!" Momiji asked excitedly.

"A carnival?" Tohru asked. "Oh, but… am I allowed? I promised my mom that I would work hard! What would she say… how would she feel if I slacked off and went to the carnival?"

"Hm?" Sayora said confused. "Just ask her. What's the big deal?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tohru apologized. "I must've forgotten to mention, my mom passed away already."

"Huh? I didn't know that," Sayora said, a bit sympathetic. "But anyway, why are you apologizing for that?"

"Uh… well…" Tohru said searching for an answer. She wasn't exactly sure either. It was just the way she was.

"Never mind," Sayora said. "Forget what I asked. C'mon. Let's go to the carnival! Momiji-kun, take us there already!"

"Yay! Carnival! Carnival!" Momiji exclaimed happily.

Momiji began walking their, saying "carnival" as he was leading the way. Sayora followed Momiji. Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, and Hatsuharu stayed where they were. Her attitude completely changed. First, she seemed down about Momiji's comment, then she seemed fine, and now, she was excited about going to the carnival. When Sayora noticed that Tohru still wasn't following, she walked back over to her and grabbed her hand.

"C'mon! Let's go to the carnival!" Sayora said cheerfully with a smile on her face. "It'll be fine!"

"She's not such a bad person you know," Haru said to Yuki and Kyo. "She may not always show it, but she cares a lot for us all. That girl, she should save some sympathy for herself, but, she's too busy worrying about everyone else. She has a weird way of showing that she cares, but she loves all of us cursed by the Jyuunishi to death... she scares for us more than anyone else. Sayora-chan looks like she loves Tohru just as much already. She cares for anyone who's important to _us_ as well. We're pretty lucky that such a person exists for us…"

Yuki and Kyo looked at Haru, half surprised at his amazing speech.

"Now, let's go to the carnival," Haru said, but no one moved. "What's wrong?"

Yuki and Kyo both had veins popping out of their heads.

"Don't go ruining the moment like that!" Yuki shouted.

**-----At the Carnival-----**

"Yay! C'mon guys! Hurry! Let's go!" Momiji cried.

He ran in and turned around still running. There was a woman right behind him that he was about to run into.

"Hey! Momiji!" Kyo shouted. "Watch out!"

"Huh?" Momiji turned around, still backing up. "Waaah!"

"Oh?" the woman cried as she turned around.

"I'm really sorry," Sayora apologized, bowing to her.

She had grabbed Momiji, pulled him towards him her, and turned around so that she bump the woman instead, saving Momiji from transforming. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. It would've caused a lot of commotion if he had transformed in such a public place like the carnival. Yuki, Kyo, Hatsuharu, and Tohru joined Momiji and Sayora. Kyo punched Momiji on the head.

"Be more careful dammit!" Kyo shouted. "Do you want to whole world to know our secret?"

"Waaaaahh!" Momiji cried, clutching onto Sayora. "Kyo hit me again!"

Sayora looked at him, balled her hand into a fist, and ran it into Momiji's head.

"Waaaaahhh!" Momiji cried again, this time running to Tohru to clutch onto her but was stopped by Kyo. "Sayo hit me too! Waaah! Waaah!"

"Mo-Momiji-kun, it'll be okay," Tohru assured with a nervous smile.

"Okay!" Momiji said, back to his cheerful self, scaring everybody half to death. "Let's go to the roller coaster!"

**-----Roller Coaster----**

Kyo and Sayora sat next to each other at the very end of the roller coaster. In front of them were Yuki and Tohru, and in front of those two were Momiji and Hatsuharu. The roller coaster suddenly zoomed off without warning. Kyo and Sayora were shouting at each other. Momiji was shouting "yay!" Haru was silent. Tohru was screaming at the top of her lungs while Yuki was trying to calm her down.

_Poof!_

Sayora and Kyo stopped arguing and looked in front of them. Haru and Momiji both turned around. There was no one beside Tohru. She had grabbed onto Yuki when the roller coaster had a huge drop. They should've seen a mouse in his place, but they couldn't see him anywhere. Suddenly, everyone looked in the air right above Kyo and Sayora. Yuki was hovering right over them.

"Help!" Yuki cried desperately to Kyo and Sayora.

The roller coaster continued going, taking Kyo and Sayora along with it and leaving Yuki where he was at least a hundred feet in the air.

"Haaaaaa!" Tohru cried, panicking like crazy.

"There he goes, over the rainbow!" Momiji shouted cheerfully.

"Yuki!" Haru shouted in concern.

"O-oi!" Kyo shouted. "Yuki!"

"Yuki-kun!" Sayora shouted as she reached out to try and grab Yuki.

She caught him by the very end of his tail as everyone sighed in relief. Sayora pulled him in as the roller coaster came to a stop. Everyone got off with Tohru carrying Yuki's clothes.

"I'm so sorry Yuki-kun!" Tohru apologized.

"Hey!" Kyo called. "Find something else to cling onto next time!"

"I'm sorry!"

**-----Bumper Cars-----**

Beeeeep!

The signal for the Bumper Cars to start rang loudly. Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora rammed into each other nonstop. Haru bumped some random people as did Momiji. Tohru, who was at the very opposite end of course, slammed on the pedal and rammed hard into Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora. Because she forgot to fasten her seat belt, she came flying out of her car and plunged into Kyo's car.

_Poof!_

Everyone who was playing bumper cars turned towards the sound.

"Ah! Um! Uh!" Tohru stuttered nervously.

"W-what was a cat doing in there?" Sayora quickly made up.

"Uh, yeah!" Tohru went along. "It would've been dangerous if that cat jumped out of the car in the middle of the ride!"

_Oh yeah!_ Kyo thought. _Who was the one jumping out of cars huh!_

**­­­-----Water Slide-----**

Everyone was in their bathing suits and were lined up for the water slides. They had to go in pairs so Yuki and Haru went together. Momiji and Kyo were paired up because Sayora insisted that she went with Tohru so there wouldn't be any issues with transforming. Yuki and Haru went down the twenty-five foot water slide as the assistant told Kyo and Momiji to get in the water slide and wait until he signaled for them to go. After the other assistant at the bottom has assured that Yuki and Haru were already out of the water slide, the guy at the top gave permission for Kyo and Momiji to go. Tohru and Sayora waited at the top. However, Tohru got excited and pushed herself down the water slide by accident, dragging Sayora with her.

"Ahhhhh!" Tohru screamed.

Kyo and Momiji were right below them. Tohru fell on top of Momiji as Kyo dodged to the side at the very last moment. All four of them landed at the bottom of the water slide. Sayora was on top of Kyo while Tohru was on top of Momiji in his Jyuunishi form.

"Hey!" the assistant at the bottom yelled. "Only two at a time! And no animals!"

"Y-yes sir! Sorry!" Tohru shouted.

**-----Horse Ride-----**

"Hehe!" Momiji laughed. "The cow is going to ride a horse! Haha!"

"Shut up," Haru said.

"He has a good point," Sayora agreed.

"Next six, this way please," the stableman in charge of the horses called.

Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Sayora, Momiji, and Hatsuharu went in. Everyone got on their horses and were ready to ride them.

"At least nothing that bad can happen," Haru said right before Tohru's horse took off at full speed, out of control. "Well… nothing too bad… like transfo-!"

"Haru-san!" Sayora alerted right before Tohru's horse collided with Haru's.

_Poof!_

Tohru was on top of a cow. The assistants rushed over to Tohru, who was on the cow. The two that went tried to help Tohru stared at the cow confused. Sayora inwardly sighed as she walked up to those two.

"We just wanted to ride our cow somewhere where there was a lot of room," she made up again. "We're sorry."

"U-uh… yeah…" one of them said still confused.

_Geez! _Haru thought. _This girl is cute, but how klutzy can she get?_

**-----Lunch-----**

"Sorry… I'm causing so much trouble for everyone…" Tohru said as they walked to get lunch, feeling bad.

"Whatever," Kyo replied.

"Don't worry Honda-san," Yuki said. "Nobody found out."

Tohru suddenly stopped.

"That looks like Hamasaki Ayumi so much," Tohru said, pointing at someone who resembled her.

"What?" one of the people said. "Hamasaki Ayumi! Where!"

That got everyone's attention as they began to stampede over to pass them. The Soumas eyes widened at the huge crowd running straight at them.

"Shit!" Kyo shouted right before everyone reached them.

After the crowd was gone, everybody had already transformed.

"Ohhhhh!" Tohru whined as she walked on, assuming that they were behind her.. "I'm soooo sorry…"

She kept talking and when she noticed that there wasn't a sound behind her, she turned around. A few yards behind her were the Soumas surrounded by the zookeepers of the carnival's petting zoo.

"That's weird," one of them said. "How did they get out? And this wolf, I don't remember it being in the zoo… and the cat and the mouse as well… oh well. Alright boys, let's get them back to where they belong."

He and nine other zookeepers put tight collars around the Soumas, put them in cages, and took them away. Tohru stood where she was, dumbfounded. When she finally released what had happened, she panicked.

"AHHHHH!" she screamed. "OH NO! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO! YUKI-KUN! KYO-KUN! MOMIJI-KUN! HATSUHARU-SAN! AND EVEN SAYORA-SAN TOO! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!"

**-----Next Chapter's Preview-----**

Hopeless Chapter 3- New Years

It has been three months since Sayora came to live in their house. New Years has finally come around again. Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo are going to go back to the Main House along with Tohru, as Akito requested, but Sayora however, stays at home because she doesn't want to go… but it all _that_ much better to stay at home… alone? Will someone go back to stay with her for New Years?


	3. New Years

**dna- **here's chap 3. hope u like it.

Hopeless Chapter 3- New Years

"Tohru-kun, Akito-san wishes for you to celebrate the New Years at the Main House," Shigure announced. "Is that all right?"

"Hell no!" Kyo immediately responded.

"We'll all stay here for New Years!" Yuki agreed. "There's no need for her to go there!"

"Um… uh… Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun… it's all right," Tohru assured. "I'd like to go. I think that it would be fun."

"To hell it'll be fun!" Kyo argued. "Who knows what that damn Akito is planning! Why would he invite an outsider like you to attend the family New Years, huh? You can never tell with that guy!"

"He's right Honda-san," Yuki agreed again. "I don't feel comfortable with this."

"But…" Tohru said.

"It's under Akito-san's orders you know…" Shigure said. "Even if Tohru-kun said that she didn't want to go, she'd still have to."

"Then why did you ask in the first place?" Sayora asked. "Wasn't it kinda pointless?"

"Who cares what that Akito said!" Kyo shouted at the same time. "I'm not scared of him!"

"Well, first of all, I asked because it's more polite," Shigure answered with a huge smile on his face, then he turned serious. "And, Akito-san has allowed her to stay and keep her memories. What happens if Akito-san gets angry that Tohru-kun declines and makes her leave the house and suppresses her memories? What then? Isn't better just to have her go with all of us?"

Kyo and Yuki settled down. Shigure was right. It was best not to anger Akito. After all, his word was the law. Even Yuki had told Tohru that.

"Alright, it's settled then," Shigure said, back to his normal self. "We're all going with Tohru-kun."

"Who the hell said that I was going?" Sayora asked.

Everyone looked at her.

"I'm staying," she told everyone.

"But, Akito-san would probably want you to come," Shigure said.

"Well then screw him!" she said moodily. "He can kiss my ass goodbye! I'm not going!"

"Actually… would you really want him to kiss you in your-!"

Sayora, Yuki, and Kyo punched Shigure through his roof. Tohru noticed a shiny silver necklace around Sayora's neck and went over to her.

"Sayora-san," Tohru called. "What's that around your neck?"

Kyo and Yuki noticed it as well. Tohru grabbed her necklace and pulled it up a bit. Sayora suddenly slapped her hand on Tohru's wrist, gripped it tightly, and looked at her dangerously. Tohru was shocked. Kyo and Yuki became alarmed.

"Don't ever touch that again!" she warned.

"_Seal_?" Yuki asked, reading the Japanese character hanging on the necklace. "What's that suppose to mean?"

Sayora let go of Tohru. "Nothing," she answered moodily.

Tohru looked at Sayora worriedly and apologized. "I'm sorry… Sayora-san? I didn't mean to make you angry… I shouldn'tve touched it without asking first…"

Sayora looked at Tohru angrily, but then calmed down. "Never mind," she said. "It wasn't your fault… it's not like you knew about it… if I get angry like that… you should yell at me or something. Don't just apologize all the time. Hit me on the head or something. Not everything's your fault…"

_Is she trying to apologize?_ Tohru thought. _She's just like Kyo-kun… _

"Trying to apologize?" Shigure asked amused out of nowhere, scaring the hell out of everyone.

"Don't do that!" Sayora shouted.

"Sayora-chan, to make up for Tohru-kun, why don't you join us at the Main House for New Years?" Shigure asked, half teasing her.

"I said no!" Sayora shouted at him.

"Who said I was going?" Kyo asked. "Hell no I'm going to see _her _there!"

"_Her_?" Tohru questioned. "Do you mean Kagura-san?"

"I'll go," Yuki said, surprising Kyo, Sayora, and even Shigure. "I'll go with Honda-san."

"Really!" Tohru exclaimed. "I'm so happy! Kyo-kun, Sayora-san, won't you both come too?"

"I'm not going," Sayora and Kyo said at the same time. They both glared at each other.

"Just go," Sayora said to Kyo.

"Why!" Kyo questioned. "You can't tell me what to do you dumb wolf!"

"Kyo-kun… I never knew I cared about me _that _much," Sayora teased. "Do you really want to stay with me _that_ much? Are you obsessed with me or something? Is that why you won't go?"

"Shut up! Fine I'll go!" Kyo shouted, falling for Sayora's trick.

"Good," she said. "Besides, you might see Shishou there. And Yuki-kun, you should go see your parents…"

Night-----

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Shigure asked as he was about to depart with Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo.

"Yeah," Sayora replied.

"All right then," Shigure said. "We'll see you in three days."

"Go already," she shooed.

The four walked to the Main House together.

Sayora-----

She was lying on the roof staring at the sky. It was completely silent. Only the rustling of the trees can be heard. Sayora was the type that liked the outdoors, the silence, being left alone, but for some reason, she felt uncomfortable. She felt… scared… Sayora hugged her knees and stared up at the sky. Whenever she was stressed out about something, she would always look up at the sky that helped to calm her down. This time… it wasn't working.

"This is stupid!" she said to herself. "What do I… have to be… scared… of…?"

She hugged her knees tighter. Sayora didn't even notice the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes as she looked at the sky.

At the Main House-----

The four of them went through the gate together. Hatsuharu was standing at the entrance to the house. He noticed that there were only four of them.

"Where's Sayora-chan?" he asked.

"She didn't want to come," Shigure answered.

"Then why are all four of you here?" he asked again.

"What do you mean _why_?" Shigure questioned. "It's New Years."

"No, I mean, why didn't any of you stay home with her?" he clarified.

"She told us to come," Yuki said. "She insisted that we all left."

"You're an idiot," Haru told Kyo calmly.

"What the hell did I do!" Kyo shouted.

Haru looked over to Tohru, Yuki, and Shigure. "You all go in ahead and greet the others."

"B-but," Tohru started but was cut off by Shigure.

"Tohru-kun, let's go see the others, okay?" he asked leading her inside as he asked leading her inside as Yuki did the same. "Try not to fight."

After the door closed behind those three, Haru began talking to Kyo.

"Kyo, you should know better than anyone else what it feels to be shunned the way she's been. In fact, she's been worse... but still… she likes being alone, but not this kind of alone. Do you have any idea how scared she must be right now?"

"Scared?" Kyo asked. "What the hell do you mean scared? She was practically dying to get us out of the house."

"Kyo, open your eyes a bit, will ya?" Haru asked, looking at him seriously. "You should try to notice things… notice how she really feels inside. She frightened, so go and comfort her."

"What does she have to be scared of?" Kyo questioned. "Ghosts? Teddy bears? Her own face maybe?"

"What about being alone on New Years…" Haru said more than asked. "You have no idea how New Years makes her feel, and I probably can't even imagine it. Look, you wouldn't know because you never really cared about this stuff, but Akito's done lots of things to her."

"Oh, like you would care so much about it huh?" Kyo asked Haru.

"You're right," he answered. "I didn't really care about it much before… back then, I didn't even know that she existed. The first time I ever saw her was about eight years ago at Shishou's dojo. I saw her through one of the windows and decided to go see Shishou's new student, but as soon as I went in, he had already made her go into another room, probably under Akito's orders. Imagine… not even being able to meet the other Jyuunishi…"

"Tch, she should get over it," Kyo said. "It's not like he's still keeping her trapped."

"No, not true," Haru said. "She managed to escape from Akito, and that's why she's at your place. When she ran to me, she was completely terrified of Akito finding out. She was begging hysterically for me not to tell him that she had run off, and in the process, told me some of the things that she had to go through…"

"And this has to do with me how?" Kyo asked.

"Go to her Kyo," Haru told him. "Comfort her, be there for her… she loves you Kyo…"

"W-what?" Kyo stuttered while blushing slightly. "I barely even know her."

"Then I guess you don't care if she's all alone right now… if she's terrified… crying her eyes out like a little baby. You went back for Tohru before… someone who you barely even knew… but now… you can't go back for the girl that needs you and wants you by her side more than anyone else. How wrong is that? And to think that she loves you most out of all the Jyuunishi…"

_W-what!_ Kyo thought. _She… loves me most… out of the Jyuunishi…?_

"Well, I guess you choose Tohru over her… I'm sure Sayora-chan knew that you liked her. I'm positive that was why she told you to come, cuz Tohru was coming too. Well, if that your decision, then I'm going in…" Haru said as he shut the door behind him.

He walked to one of the windows to see Kyo standing where he was. Yuki, Shigure, and Tohru went to stand next to Hatsuharu. They all looked at Kyo who turned around and ran out of the front gate.

"Ah! Kyo-kun! Where is he going?" Tohru asked as Haru smiled to himself.

_Good…_ Yuki thought, knowing what he was running back for.

Shigure just smiled.

Kyo-----

"_And to think that she loves you most out of the Jyuunishi…"_

"…_she loves you Kyo…"_

_How… how come I **never** notice these things?_ Kyo thought. _Back then with Tohru… and now her too! Why don't I ever notice! _

"_I'm sure Sayora-chan knew that you liked her. I'm positive that was why she told you to come, cuz Tohru was coming too."_

_Damn!_ Kyo scolded himself.

He was almost at the house.

Sayora-----

**_----Flashback-----_**

"_Leave me alone!" Sayora shouted. "Let me go!"_

"_Where do you think you're going… Sayora?" Akito asked in his gentle yet eerie voice. "I didn't tell you that you could leave and join the others for New Years. In fact, I don't think I even gave you permission to speak."_

"_Leave me alone…" she said weakly through her sobbing. _

"_You're not even part of the Jyuunishi like Kyo is," Akito reminded. "At least he was part of the zodiac. You, on the other hand, you're just-!"_

"_Sh-shut up… shut up dammit!"_

_Akito glared at her. "I'll just tie you up, tape your mouth shut, and leave you by the window so you can watch as the others enjoy New Years…** together**. They don't even know you, so they wouldn't want you around with them anyway." After he was done, he opened the door and walked out. "I'll come back after three days with your punishment and to find you something to eat… if I can remember."_

_He shut the door, leaving Sayora in the dark room with a single window where she could see everyone having fun and laughing together…_

_**-----­End Flashback-----**_

Kyo-----

He thrust the front door open and ran in the house.

"Hey!" he called for Sayora. "Where are you!"

Kyo ran to the living room, then the kitchen. Not finding her on anywhere, he ran upstairs and checked in her room… nothing. He proceeded in checking the rest of the rooms on the second floor only to find every single on empty. Kyo checked the empty house again. Nothing…

_Where is she? _Kyo thought as he went back outside of the house again and looked around.

He spotted the ladder.

_Maybe she's up on the roof! Stupid Kyo! Stupid!_

Kyo ran over to the ladder and climbed up. Up on the roof, he saw the person he had been looking for… Sayora. Sayora didn't seem to notice that he was there. Even if her back was turned to Kyo, she should've heard him coming up the ladder. Kyo could see her trembling. He walked up and stood behind her and looked at her.

"There you are…" Kyo said quietly.

Sayora snapped her head around to find Kyo, whose eyes widened when he saw tears streaming out of her eyes and onto her soaked cheeks.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked.

"W-what's wrong?"

"I… I was cold…" she made up. "And uh… the wind was just… it was just hurting my eyes… that's all…"

"You were crying…" Kyo accused. "And you were scared…"

"No!" Sayora argued, trying to sound normal though her voice was still trembling. "Why the hell would I be crying? And me, scared? Yeah right. Don't kid yourself. What do I have to be scared of?"

"You're horrible at lying, you know?" he asked, looking at her sympathetically as more tears fell from Sayora's eyes. "…stupid wolf…"

Kyo sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Sayora's eyes widened, surprised.

…_Kyo-kun…_

"Hey… stop crying already," Kyo told her. "If you keep crying like that, you're gonna flood the house."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Sayora asked.

Kyo didn't reply. Soon, the sun began to rise.

"The sun… it's rising," Sayora stated.

"Make a wish," Kyo said.

"Huh? A wish? Why?" she asked.

"Geez, don't you know anything?" Kyo asked. "It's New Years now. You're supposed to make a wish when the sun rises."

"I didn't know that."

"What _do_ you know?"

"Shut up!"

"Hurry up and make a wish!"

"Yeah…"

_I wish that Kyo-kun… can earn his rightful place in the zodiac… someday… and that Tohru-san will return his feelings for her sometime soon… _

Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 4- Hiro's Met His Match

Hiro is always a smart mouth and is sarcastic in an annoying way. He can annoy the hell out of anyone with his comments, but what happens when he tries that on Sayora? If Hiro's going to try being sarcastic and smart on her, then she's going to do the same.


	4. Hiro's Met His Match

**dna-** i super sorry that this chapter took so long. i had writers block for both of my stories... AND IT WAS SOOOOOO HARD TO THINK UP OF COME BACKS FOR SAYORA! anywayz, sorry again and i hope you all enjoy this chap! oh, n **lazi** and **silent storm**, im really glad that you like both of my stories! and of course, thanx to everyone else who has reviewed on this story! i appreciate it! thanx!

**Hopeless Chapter 4- Hiro's Met His Match**

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kyo asked annoyed.

In the living room along with Tohru, Yuki, Shigure, Kyo, and Sayora, was Hiro.

"I heard that there was some other Jyuunishi in the family and that she was living with you guys, so I thought that I would come and see who she was," Hiro answered. "But it was only some woman who was forgotten for no reason."

"Hiro, don't say things that aren't true!" Yuki ordered. "And besides, you've met her before. Five years ago at the New Years party, remember?"

"Yeah," Sayora agreed. "And you weren't half as bratty as you are now. Tohru-san, you've already met Hiro-kun, right?"

"Oh, yes! We met before. He's really nice!" Tohru said.

Shigure, Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora nearly spit out their morning tea.

"Nice!" they shouted at the same time.

"Don't forget that that little brat took your mother's picture when you first met him!" Kyo reminded.

"He what!" Sayora asked. "Why you snotty little!"

"Ah! It's okay, really!" Tohru defended. "I got it back, so it's okay!"

"You're too forgiving," Hiro said as everyone mentally sighed. "If I took your money, would you say it's okay? If I took your things, would you say it's okay? If I took away Yuki and Kyo from you, would you say it's okay?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean!" Kyo and Yuki shouted at Hiro.

"If you never took her mother's picture, would she _have_ to say that _it's okay_? If you don't take her money and her things, would there be any point in saying that it's okay? If you're not going to take Kyo and Yuki away from her, why would you even bring it up in the first place?" Sayora asked.

Hiro kept his mouth shut and looked angrily at Sayora. Shigure, Kyo, Yuki, and even Tohru were amazed. There was actually someone who could shut the little brat up.

"Well, since he's over, you all might as well go do something together," Shigure said.

"What can we do with _him _over?" Kyo asked. "He'll complain about everything."

"Well… I heard that there is a new amusement park that just opened," Shigure said.

"Amusement park?" Sayora, Kyo, and Yuki said at the same time, twitching at their last experience at the carnival.

"Is something wrong?" Shigure asked, unaware about what had happened before.

_Of course there's something wrong!_ Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora thought.

_**-----Flashback-----**_

_The roller coaster continued going, taking Kyo and Sayora along with it and leaving Yuki where he was at least a hundred feet in the air. _

_She forgot to fasten her seat belt and came flying out of her car and plunged into Kyo's car. _

_Sayora was on top of Kyo while Tohru was on top of Momiji in his Jyuunishi form. _

_Tohru was on top of a cow. _

_The Soumas eyes widened at the huge crowd running straight at them. _

_**-----End Flashback-----**_

_We were lucky not to get locked up in cages last time…_ they thought.

Tohru looked a bit nervous, also thinking about the carnival.

"Do you all hate the amusement park or something?" Shigure asked, seeing their expressions.

"No… it's not that…" Sayora replied, trying to stop the twitching. "…Musement Park sounds great…"

"Is it because Hiro is going along?" Shigure asked again.

_That's the least of our worries…_ the three of them thought.

"I know! Let's invite Haa-kun and Momiji-kun to come along!" Shigure suggested, causing them to twitch even more. "I'll even come along! It'll be fun!"

Sayora looked at Hiro who was unusually quiet. He looked like he wanted to say something. Then Sayora remembered. Hiro probably wanted to invite her along.

"Hiro-kun," Sayora called. "Want to invite Kisa-chan?"

"What?" Hiro asked, trying not to blush a bit.

"Kisa-chan!" Tohru exclaimed in joy. "That would be wonderful!"

"Well?" Sayora asked Hiro again.

"W-whatever!" he answered, pretending not to care.

"Well then, let's go get them!" Shigure said cheerfully.

**-----**At the Amusement**-----**

"Which ride shall we go on first?" Shigure asked.

"Kisa-san, is there a ride that you would like to go on first?" Tohru asked her sweetly.

"Um… I think I want to go on the Anaconda first," she answered after a while.

Everyone looked at the roller coaster that Kisa was pointing to. Yuki, Kyo, Hatsuharu, and Sayora looked at Tohru nervously out of the corner of their eyes. Momiji apparently, seemed to have forgotten what had happened the last time that Tohru was on a roller coaster, and the drops on that roller coaster weren't half as high as the one on the Anaconda.

"Okay!" Tohru said confidently. "Let's go on the Anaconda! It'll… be… lots… of… fun…!" Tohru stuttered out the last part, trying not to sound nervous.

Tohru walked stiffly over to the line with the others following her.

**-----**Anaconda**-----**

It was their turn to ride the roller coaster.

"Would you like to sit with me?" Tohru asked Kisa who nodded happily in response.

At the very back of the roller coaster were Hiro and Sayora. In front of them was Kyo and Momiji; then Tohru and Kisa; then Haru and Yuki. Shigure assured everyone that he would be fine sitting by himself… and next to a random young lady. Tohru had clung onto Kisa during the entire ride. Kisa didn't seem to mind though. Momiji was shouting "y‎ay" the whole time while Kyo just sat there as did Haru, Yuki, and Sayora. Hiro sat stiffly, not yelling a bit. Everyone jerked back when the roller coaster abruptly stopped right before a fifty foot drop.

"Waaaaaahhhhhhh!" Tohru screamed, squeezing Kisa to death.

The Anaconda didn't move. Everyone began to worry a bit. Sayora was looking down, getting nervous. She loved high places… except when she was stuck to some contraption that could kill them all if it fell. Hiro was trying not to show his nervousness and tried not to panic. Everyone else began to panic.

"Oh great!" Kyo complained. "Are we stUUUUUCK!" he shouted the last part when the roller coaster zoomed down the drop without warning.

**-----**After the Ride**-----**

Tohru had swirly eyes. Kyo and Sayora were wide-eyed, with their hair stuck in all different directions, literally. Everyone else was just plain shocked. Hiro was trying to act as if the drop was nothing.

"That scared me half to death," Kyo said worn out.

"Man, that drop was so high, and that thing just zoomed down it three hundred miles per hour," Sayora said, just as worn out as Kyo. "That was scary…"

"It was just a roller coaster," Hiro started. "If you went on a merry-go-round, would you say it's scary? If you ran down a hill, would you say it's scary? If you rode in a car, would you say it's scary?"

"If it was_ just_ a roller coaster, then would you have had that terrified expression when the roller coaster stopped moving?" Sayora countered. "If it was just a roller coaster, then would you have screamed at the top of your lungs when that thing jetted itself down the drop? If it was just a roller coaster, then would you have to be out of breath more than anyone else here? And would you be shaking more than an earthquake would?"

Everyone looked at Hiro. Sayora was right. Hiro was out of breath, and he was trembling even though he tried to hide it. Kisa giggled at him.

"Shut up!" Hiro shouted. "If you're so brave, then why were _you_ screaming at the top of _your_ lungs!"

"Didn't I say that it was scary?" she asked.

"Ahhhhhh," Shigure interrupted. "Shall we go on our next ride?"

"Let's go to the fun house!" Momiji suggested.

"That's a wonderful idea," he agreed. "See, if there were a girl stuck in the fun house, then their reflection would be all around me! And then imagine them gracing me with their wonderful presence if they wore a mini skirt and fell over! No! Bending down is enou-!"

Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora knocked Shigure far, _far_, away.

"Wow… who knew that Shi-chan could fly so far, and high too!" Momiji said cheerfully.

"Shi-Shigure-san!" Tohru cried worriedly.

"The fun house sounds fine! Anything would be better than having to waste my energy knocking that perverted old man out of my sight!" Sayora growled.

"I can't believe he'd say something _that_ perverted in front of Honda-san," Yuki angrily said.

"What else can you expect from someone like him?" Kyo asked annoyed.

"You mean some_thing_ like him?" Sayora corrected. "The way he acts is inhuman."

Everyone started to walk to the fun house.

"B-but Shigure-san," Tohru began.

"Don't worry about him," Yuki told her. "Something like that isn't worth worrying about."

**-----**At the Fun House**-----**

They all went in together, but were soon separated when they got lost.

**-----**Half an Hour Later**-----** Sayora**-----**

She looked at the exit to the right of her.

"There it is!" she shouted happily.

She ran full speed at it. When she finally reached it, she ricocheted hard off of a mirror and landed on her back.

"Ow… dammit that hurt… I should've known better," she said to herself as she slowly got back up. "If the image is one that side, then the real exit has to be on the other side."

Sayora walked over to the other side this time just incase it was another image, which it wasn't. She got outside when Yuki and Tohru were coming out of one exit, and Kyo coming out of another. Shigure and Hiro were already there. A few minutes later, Kisa and Momiji came out from different exits.

"Sayora-san, your head… it's red," Yuki pointed out. "What happened?"

"I charged at a mirror image…" she muttered.

"You're so stupid!" Hiro insulted. "What were you trying to do? Go through it? Perhaps run into yourself?"

"Shut up!" Sayora shouted.

"Nice come back," Kyo said sarcastically.

"Quiet, stupid cat," Yuki ordered.

"Leave me alone you dumb rat!" Kyo shouted.

"_You_ leave Yuki-kun alone!" Sayora commanded.

"Protecting your precious lover?" Kyo asked.

"Arguing with your precious rat?" Sayora asked without thinking.

"Hey!" Yuki shouted. "What do you mean!"

**-----**Hour and a Half Later**-----**

"Dammit where is he?" Kyo asked tiredly, referring to Hatsuharu.

"Who knows," Yuki said just as tiredly.

"That damn cow's hopeless," Sayora stated.

"He probably won't get out," Hiro said. "If his sense of direction is as bad as yours, then he's doomed. He won't be as lucky as you to _accidentally_ find a way out of there."

"If someone like _you_ can get out, what makes you think that a better person than you _can't_?" Sayora asked harshly.

"Shut up!" Hiro shouted, angered by her comment. "He's not better than me!"

"What, so you're better than him then?" Sayora asked, trying to contain her anger, but Hiro was really annoying her with his comments. "You're better than everyone? Cuz if you think you are, then I think you need to go back into that fun house and take a closer look at your reflections! Take a closer look at yourself! Why don't you just tackle your mirror images like any good ram would? Maybe it would knock some sense into your head!"

"Shut up!" Hiro commanded.

"Why? Because I'm right?" she asked harshly

Everyone was silent at looked at Sayora and Hiro. Hiro looked over to Kisa as he saw her look down and away from him. He was a little taken back and looked at the ground angrily.

"Oh… so this was where the exit was," came Haru's voice.

"Finally!" Shigure said cheerfully, trying to lighten up the mood. "Did you get lost?"

"Yeah… I couldn't tell which mirror path I'd gone through… they all looked familiar," he answered lazily. "And they didn't even have a map inside…"

Everyone except for Hiro looked at him oddly.

"Figures," Kyo said, letting out a sigh.

"Honestly, don't you know anything?" Yuki asked.

"What?" Haru asked cluelessly.

"Um, Hatsuharu-san… there aren't supposed to be any maps in a fun house," Tohru clarifies.

"Wow, really?" he asked.

"Hey! Hey! Which ride should we go on next? Which ride should we go on next?" Momiji asked excitedly.

"Actually, I think we'll have lunch next," Shigure said. "C'mon, let's go."

Everyone started walking to the food stands except for Hiro. He stood where he was. Everyone stopped as Sayora walked over to him.

"C'mon Hiro-kun," she said holding her hand out for him. "Let's go."

Hiro slapped it away furiously, shocking Sayora as well as everyone else. He had an angry expression on his face.

"I hate you!" he shouted at her and ran away.

Sayora's eyes widened slightly. Then she looked down a bit and sighed.

"I'll meet you guys at the food stands with Hiro-kun," Sayora said. "Excuse me…"

Sayora ran after Hiro.

"Sayora-san!" Tohru shouted. She was about to run after Hiro and Sayora, but Shigure stopped her.

"Tohru-kun, she said she'll meet us there," he said. "Let's go. Sayora-chan is a dependable person. She'll be fine."

**-----**Sayora**­­-----**

"Hiro-kun!" she called. "Hiro-kun!"

There was no answer. She looked around and finally found him sitting by himself on a bench. Sayora walked over next to him though he didn't seem to notice her.

"Hiro-kun," she called quietly.

Hiro's head snapped up and looked at Sayora.

"Get away from me!" he shouted, standing up. "I hate you! Why do you always have to make me sound so stupid! And in front of Kisa too!"

"Ah…"

"Do you like humiliating me in front of her!"

She felt guilty for making Hiro feel the way he did. Sayora knelt down so that she was eye level with him. She gently put her hand on the top of his brown hair and let her hand slide down to the back of his head. Hiro flinched.

"Hiro… you're a smart kid," she began. "You're one of the smartest grade school kids I know. I mean it. I didn't mean to make you look bad in front of Kisa-chan. I was just irritated. If you don't like it, I won't do it anymore, kay?"

After a while, Hiro nodded.

"Good!" she said cheerfully. "Now that we have an understanding on that, let's go have lunch with the others. Kisa-chan's probably waiting for you."

**-----Next Chapter's Preview-----**

Hopeless Chapter 5- Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day, and that is _never_ a good thing. For one thing, Kagura is over, and she absolutely hates Sayora. Will Kagura's grudge on her finally subside? Secondly, this year's Valentine's Day is on a Saturday, and Shigure dares Kyo and Yuki to pick a date to spend the whole day with. There are three girls, and only two guys. How will they solve this problem?


	5. Valentine's Day

**d**ark-**n**inja-**a**yane- i am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry that i havent updated in such a long time! like the title of my story says, _im_ hopeless! ok, bad joke, but since this one took so long, i made it longer with _attempted_ comedy at the end. i know this is a bad and pathetic excuse, but my friend **coshi** and i are working on a fanfic together that we're planning to post up somtime if we ever get through chap 1. also, ive been busy and stressed with a lot of stuff so... i apologize again. youre welcomed to scold me as much as u would like. however, i promise i will update the next chapter as soon as i can. well... enjoy this chap!

**Hopeless Chapter 5- Valentine's Day**

Everyone looked up from what they were doing.

"Shit!" Kyo screamed again.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru cried in concern as she ran upstairs to check on him along with everyone else.

"What's wrong!" Sayora asked alarmed. Kyo was over by the calendar.

"Today's Valentine's Day!" he shrieked.

No one said anything. They looked at him and sweat dropped as he continued to panic. Everyone knew why he was panicking, but Tohru, as usual, was clueless about what was going on.

"Kyo-kun, what's wrong?" she asked.

"What's wrong!" Kyo shouted. "What's _wrong!_ Kagura! That's what's wrong!"

"Oh! That's right!" Tohru remembered. "And Valentine's Day is Saturday too…"

"I've gotta get outta here!" he panicked some more. "I've gotta run away! Far far away! Somewhere where she would never-!"

Yuki punched Kyo into the wall.

"What the hell was that for you stupid rat!" Kyo shouted as soon as he recovered.

"You were annoying me," he replied coolly.

"What the hell!" Kyo shouted again. "You wanna fight!"

"Bring it on," Yuki said calmly.

"KYOOOO-KUUUUUN!" a familiar voice called.

Kyo flinched as footsteps approached the room.

"Hide me! Hide me!" Kyo whispered frantically. "Hurry! Hide me!"

"Kyo-kun!" came the voice again, this time closer. A lot closer. In fact, she was just behind them. Everyone turned around to face Kagura.

"K-Kagura-san," Tohru greeted, trying to sound normal.

"Where's Kyo-kun?" she asked, then turned to glare at Sayora. "And why's _she_ here!"

"Hey," Sayora said to her coolly.

Kagura frowned at her. "Don't talk to me!"

"Tch, fine," she replied unworriedly.

"Treat me with some respect!" Kagura ordered Sayora.

"How am I supposed to when I'm not supposed to talk to you?" she asked. "Oops. I just talked to you, didn't I?"

"Kyo!" Yuki called. "What are you doing hiding in the closet?"

Kagura's eyes flashed.

"Kyo!" she said, starting to get into her tantrum. "You're hiding in the closet! You're hiding from _me_! HOW COULD YOU?"

Kagura charged past Yuki, Sayora, Shigure, and Tohru to the closet. She snapped the door in half and dragged Kyo out.

"Yuki… you traitor…" Kyo said in a strained voice between his teeth.

Once Kagura and Kyo was down the stairs, Shigure asked, "What _did_ you do that for, Yuki-kun?"

"Yeah," Sayora agreed.

"Well, that saved _you_, didn't it Sayora-san?" Yuki asked, not caring much for Kyo.

"I guess…" she answered.

"Well, let's go join Kyo-kun and Kagura-chan, shall we?" Shigure suggested.

The four of them walked downstairs. Tohru went into the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone.

"So, Sayora-chan, are you planning anything _special_ for the guys here?" Shigure asked playfully.

"Sure," she answered, causing Shigure to rip his newspaper in half.

"What!" he asked, not sure if what he had heard was correct.

"It's Valentine's Day, isn't it?" she asked, making Shigure's eyes sparkle. "I'll just snap your bones in half and shape them in the shape of a heart! That enough!"

"Eh- eh heh heh heh… i-in that case Sayora-chan, no thanks," Shigure answered twitching. "You don't have to give us anything."

"Good," she said jokingly.

"Someone's happy today," muttered Kyo, who had Kagura clinging onto him.

"You're happy too, aren't you?" Sayora teased. "After all, you're favorite valentine is right here with you."

Kyo growled as Tohru came out with the breakfast.

"Let's eat!" she said cheerfully.

"Ah, Honda-san, let me help you," Yuki offered as he went up to help Tohru put the food on the table.

"I have a great idea for Valentine's Day this year!" Shigure announced happily. "Why don't you all go out on a date?"

Yuki nearly dropped the dish that he was holding. Sayora's head snapped over to Shigure. Kyo looked terrified. Tohru's face flushed red.

"A DATE?" Sayora, Yuki, and Kyo repeated, except a few times louder.

"A DATE!" Kagura shouted joyously, squeezing Kyo to death. "YAY! A DATE! LET'S GO OUT TOGETHER KYON-KYON!"

At the same time, Sayora shouted, "HELL NO! TO HELL I WOULD WANT TO GO ON A DATE!

"Can't… breath…" Kyo struggled to get out of Kagura's grip.

"Aww, c'mon, it can't be that bad," Shigure pressured.

"Peer pressure is bad for us you know," Sayora mumbled.

"Hell no!" Kyo shouted after he had managed to wiggle himself free from Kagura's death grip. "I'm not going on some stupid date!"

"Kyo!" Kagura began again. "You're going on a date! YOU'RE GONNA GO WITH ME!"

"C'mon Kyo-kun," Shigure interrupted as Yuki helped to hold Kagura off of Kyo. "You aren't afraid, are you?"

No reply. Just an annoyed and nervous look.

"Oh my god!" Shigure said. "Kyo-kun is a chicken! He's afraid of a little date! Chicken! Chicken!"

"I am not a chicken!" Kyo shouted.

"That's gonna be your new name!" Shigure teased. "Chicken-kun! Ahahahahahahahaha!"

Kyo growled. "Fine!" he yelled, falling for his trick. "I'll go on a stupid date!"

"Yuki-kun, you're going too, right?" Shigure asked.

"Sure," he answered.

"Wonderful! Pick your date boys!"

"Honda-san," Yuki said. "May I?"

"Ah! Y-yes," she responded nervously. "What about Kyo-kun?"

"Don't worry about him," Yuki assured.

"Pick me Kyo-kun!" Kagura told him, waving her hand to him.

Kyo seemed to be having a hard time. After a while, since Kyo couldn't pick, Sayora made his decision for him.

"Why don't you go with Kagura-san?" she asked.

Kagura turned and looked at Sayora suspiciously.

"But you'll be alone!" Tohru said.

"Tch. That's fine by me," Sayora said. "Who ever said that I wanted to go on these stupid Valentine's Day date stuff anyway? I'll be fine. Besides, I've got stuff to do. Go on ahead."

"B-but, are you sure?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Sayora assured.

"That's right," Shigure said slyly. "She and I will be fine together alone. Isn't that right, Sayora-chan?"

"Yeah," she replied, trying to contain her anger as she punched Shigure through his screen door and into his back yard. "_I'll _be fine, but if he's dead by the time you guys get back, then you all know why."

"Well, see you then," Yuki said.

"Sure," Sayora replied.

Yuki, Tohru, Kyo, and Kagura left as Sayora prepared to leave as well.

"Oi, Shigure-san, I'll be out for a bit," she said as she left.

Yuki, Tohru, Kyo, Kagura-----

"Why won't you hold my hand Kyon-chan?" Kagura whined. "Yuki-kun and Tohru-kun are doing it."

"Because I don't want to!" Kyo told her for the tenth time.

"Please!" she begged.

"No!" Kyo continued to tell her.

"Oh, ice cream!" Tohru said happily as they all walked over to the ice cream stand. "Would you like some Yuki-kun?"

"Sure," Yuki answered as he reached into his pocket for his wallet.

"Oh no, it's okay Yuki-kun," Tohru said as she took out some money. "It's Valentine's Day, so I'll pay for it."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she assured. "Kyo-kun, Kagura-san, would you two like some ice cream too?"

"Whatever," Kyo said, tired of Kagura bothering him.

"Great!" Kagura shouted. "I'll pay for you Kyon-kyon! Tohru-kun, you can pay for your lover and I'll pay for mine!"

"Don't call me that!" Kyo shouted at her. "And we're not lovers!"

"Honda-san and I are just friends!" Yuki assured.

"U-umm… lovers?" Tohru asked blushing. "He and I are just really good friends. Just like Kyo-kun, Shigure-san, and you too, Kagura-san."

"Don't deny it!" Kagura accused. "You are so in love with Yuki-kun! It's so obvious!"

"No!" Tohru denied, blushing more. "He and I are just friends!"

"Oh don't be shy! You're just as embarrassed as Kyon-kyon when it comes to admitting love."

"I said don't call me that!" Kyo shouted. "And for the last time, we aren't lovers! You and I together would be my worst nightmare!"

Kagura was taken back and grew quiet.

"Can we get the ice cream now?" Yuki asked, embarrassed that they were arguing about love in the middle of the streets.

So all four of them finally bought the ice cream and were eating it as they continued walking. Yuki and Tohru were still holding hands. Kyo and Kagura were walking quietly by each other. Suddenly, Kagura stopped. Kyo stopped and looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Kyo asked.

Yuki and Tohru turned around as well.

"Kyo… I want to talk to you alone…" she said quietly.

"Then we'll go on ahead," Yuki said as he continued to walk with Tohru.

"What?" Kyo asked again.

"Kyo… do you hate me?" she asked looking up at him.

"What!" Kyo asked surprised, not expecting a question like that.

"Well do you?" she asked repeated.

Kyo didn't respond.

"You always seem to be annoyed when I come over and I feel like you're always avoiding me. And you say all of these mean things to me. And you never want to hold my hand, even on Valentine's Day. And-!"

Kyo grabbed Kagura's hand.

"There!" he said, hating it when he makes anyone other than Yuki feel bad. "You happy now? Geez…"

Kagura looked up at Kyo and smiled.

Late Afternoon-----

"We're back," Yuki said as he walked into the house.

"Oh, already?" Shigure asked as he poked his head out to look at the four. "That was fast. Did you guys have _fun_?"

Two shoes hit and bounced Shigure's head. Then one flew from behind Kyo and Yuki and hit him in the face, knocking him backwards onto the ground.

Everyone turned around.

"Sayora-san," Tohru greeted.

"Hey," she said lazily. "How did it go?"

"Good," Yuki replied.

"None of your business!" Kagura shouted at the same time.

"Sorry I asked," she apologized, annoyed with the attitude Kagura has been giving her ever since she came over.

"Hmph! C'mon Kyon-chan!" Kagura said as she grabbed Kyo's hand and walked past Sayora, ignoring her completely.

"Don't call me that!" Kyo complained as he went into the living room.

"Don't listen to her," Yuki said. "Let's go join them."

"Oh, I have to get something in my room real quick," Tohru remembered. "Please excuse me!"

So Yuki and Sayora went to join Kagura, Kyo, and Shigure.

"Oh, Sayora-chan, tell me, where did you go?" Shigure wondered. "And what happened to that bag you had with you when you came in?"

"Nothing," she simply answered.

"Awwwww. Tell me," Shigure whined. "Pleeeeaaaasssee!"

"Stop whining like that," Yuki said. "It makes you sound more pathetic than you really are."

"Awwww, Yuki-kun, that's so mean of you," Shigure whined some more.

A chopstick flew from Sayora's direction and hit Shigure's head. Then it accidentally bounced off of his head and hit Kagura. She glared at Sayora.

"What's the big idea!" she demanded.

"Sorry, it was an accident," Sayora apologized.

"Yeah right!" Kagura shouted.

"You saw that!" she defended herself. "That thing hit Shigure-san and bounced off of his rubbery and hollow head!"

"Rubbery… hollow…? C'mon, I'm sitting right here you know?" Shigure asked with a sweat drop as the two girls continued to shout at each other.

Tohru soon came down with a small bag in her hand and the arguing ceased.

"I have some chocolate for everyone!" she said cheerfully.

Yuki and Shigure happily took the chocolate that they were offered. Kyo however, was the same as always.

"Chocolate again?" he complained. "I told you that I hate chocolate!"

"Oh, that's right!" Tohru remembered. "I forgot! I'm sorry, would you like me to make something more manly? That's what you wanted last year too, right?"

"But Kyon-chan, I have chocolate for you too," Kagura said sadly. "Please eat it!"

All of a sudden, in front of Kyo was a gigantic heart shaped chocolate, one that was even larger than the previous year. Kyo stared at it nervously. If he didn't eat it, Kagura was going to have a fit.

"Well, since everyone's passing out chocolate _now_, here," Sayora said as she took out a bag from under the table and reached inside the bag. She pulled out two small boxes and handed them to Yuki and Shigure, who once again, gladly took it. Sayora handed it to Kyo who just stared at her stubbornly, not taking the box in her outstretched hand.

"I don't want chocolate," Kyo said.

"Just take it," she told him. "Or would you prefer leeks?"

Kyo glared at her evilly. "Shuddup! That's not gonna get me to eat your damn chocolate!"

"C'mon Kyo-kun," she pushed. "It's just one chocolate. Would it hurt to stuff it down your throat? It's not like I get to give you one every year."

Kyo looked at her. Sayora seemed disappointed.

"Tch! Fine!" Kyo said and snatched the chocolate from her hand. He put it in his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it. "There, happy now!"

"Yup," she replied as she turned to Shigure. "I have some more in this bag. Would you mind delivering this to the Main House?"

"Are they for Momiji-kun, Haa-kun, and Haa-san?" Shigure asked.

"I have some for Ayame-san and Hiro-kun too," she said.

"I almost forgot, I have some chocolate for them too!" Tohru said.

"Alright, I'll bring to it them later today," he replied with a smile.

"Oh no! That would be asking too much of you!" Tohru said, not wanting to bother Shigure.

"No, it's all right. I was going to go visit them anyway," Shigure assured. "I'll go bring it to them. It's no trouble at all."

"Oh, okay then," Tohru replied. "Thank you Shigure-san."

"Oh, that's right, I have some Valentine's Day onigiri in the kitchen. Let me go get it."

"Hmph, and you said that you didn't have anything for Valentine's Day," Kyo remarked. Kagura was angered. He sounded happy. He almost smiled at her!

Sayora got up and walked into the kitchen. Kagura got up and walked after her, but before she left the living room, Yuki asked,

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to help her carry the food out," Kagura lied.

With no more questions directed at her, Kagura went into the kitchen.

"Kagura-san," Sayora said when she turned around. "What's up?"

She glared angrily at Sayora with eyes that were full of hate towards the wolf.

"Stay away from Kyo-kun!" she ordered.

"What?" Sayora asked, surprised and not sure if she heard correctly.

"Stay away from Kyo-kun!" Kagura shouted. "He's mine! Kyo's MINE!"

"Kagura-san…"

"Kyo-kun belongs to _me_! Someone like you doesn't deserve to be with Kyo-kun! He'll choose me! Do you seriously think that Kyo-kun will like someone like you! Kyo belongs to me! Stay away from him!"

"Kyo-kun is neither mine nor yours Kagura-san," Sayora replied calmly. "Who Kyo-kun's heart belongs to… is Kyo-kun's choice. We can't make that decision for him."

"Hmph! It's good that you feel that way, because Kyo-kun is going to choose me!" Kagura assured.

"If he chooses you, then he chooses you," Sayora said. "You love him, don't you? If you want him, then you can have him. He's all yours Kagura-san."

Kagura was angered even more by her comment.

"Don't mock me!" Kagura ordered. "You're just mad because Kyo's gonna to chose me and not you!"

"I'm not the one that's mad though," she pointed out. "You're the one's who's angry. Are you that scared that we might have something going on?"

"You guys can't have something going on!" she shouted. "I won't let you guys be together!"

"Just saying, what happens _if_ Kyo-kun likes me, and what _if_ I like Kyo-kun? What if you can't intervene with our relationship?" Sayora asked. "What are you going to do about it then?"

SLAP!

Kagura slapped her across the face, leaving a bright pink mark on her cheek. Sayora's face was turned to the left and she was looking down. A few tears had escaped Kagura's eyes.

"Did that make you feel better Kagura-san?" Sayora asked looking at her.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Kagura screamed, covering her tear stained face with her hands.

Sayora mentally sighed and looked at Kagura sympathetically. " Kagura-san, I don't see why you're worried. _You're_ the one that loves him, not me."

"Then why is he only nice to you!" Kagura asked through her crying. "Why won't he notice me and return my feelings for him!"

"He knows that you love him Kagura-san," Sayora said quietly, trying to calm Kagura down. "But let me ask you something. What if you love Kyo-kun, but he doesn't love _you_, or not in the same way that _you_ love _him_? Wouldn't it be better to let Kyo-kun decided these important things on his own? If you love him, then give him time. You know how Kyo-kun can be…"

Kagura looked up at Sayora, her eyes widened slightly. Then, she smiled sadly.

"You… you love Kyo-kun, don't you…?" she asked quietly looking down again. "If you do, then just tell me… why do you have to lie?"

"Kagura-san… but I'm not lying…" she replied, earning another surprised look from Kagura. "I don't love Kyo-kun. I _can't_…"

Kagura's eyes widened a bit more. _She... **can't**…? But…why?_

Sayora's eyes showed a bit of sadness even though she hid it the best she could.

"So… wanna help me carry the onigiri out?" Sayora asked with a smile.

Kagura looked at Sayora and smiled. For some reason, she was glad… she felt happy and relieved. Sayora handed her a tray of onigiri and took one herself. As the two girls were walking back to the living room, Kagura apologized to Sayora.

"I'm sorry. I've caused you all this trouble for no reason. And I never bothered to confront you with it too…"

"Hey, no worries, kay?"

They were at the entrance to the living room when they heard a moan. The two of them looked towards the sound and saw Kyo curled up in a ball on the floor.

"MY KYON-CHAN!" Kagura shrieked as she threw her tray full of heart shaped onigiri in the air.

"Hey!" Sayora shouted as she scurried to catch the flying onigiri and the tray that came down with it. She set it down on the table and turned her attention to Kyo.

"Kyo-kun! What's wrong?" she asked.

"Stupid cat," Yuki said with a sigh.

"Too… much… chocolate…" Kyo managed to say.

"Oh no! Kyo-kun, do you want a bucket!" Tohru panicked. "Or do you want to go to the hospital! Oh no! What should we do!"

"It's only a stomachache, it's only a stomachache," Shigure reminded. "It's not like he's gonna die or anything. All we have to do is stick Kyo-kun's head down the toilet for a few minutes and let the brown stuff come out of his mouth."

"HIS _MOUTH_!" Tohru asked, freaking out.

"That can be taken the wrong way you know…" Yuki said.

"I guess you're right," Shigure replied. "I was talking about the chocolate though… not the other stuff."

Then something interrupted their_ pleasant_ conversation.

"Hey! Kagura-san, no!" Sayora shouted as she ran in to stop Kagura. "Pounding his stomach isn't gonna help!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! Kyo-kun! Are you alright!" Tohru screamed as she ran around, not knowing what to do.

Yuki and Sayora tried to hold Kagura back from killing Kyo's stomach. Kyo's face puffed up as he quickly put a hand over his mouth.

"Oh no Kyo-kun! Don't vomit on my beautiful wooden floor!" Shigure said. "Swallow your puke!"

Yuki and Sayora looked disgusted. "Saying that kinda stuff won't help!" they both shouted at him, still trying to hold Kagura back. Tohru was still running around the house shouting "oh no! should I get a bucket! Or should I call the hospital! What should I do!"

"Show some concern for the damn cat!" Sayora shouted.

_Stupid cat!_ Kyo thought.

"Well it _is_ my house," Shigure reminded. "Hurry and think of a way to stop him from messing up my pretty floor. If he vomits on it, then Tohru-kun will have to go through the trouble of cleaning it up."

"Don't even think about it!" Yuki shouted at Shigure. "If you bother Honda-san with this-!"

"Hurry! He's about to throw up!" he warned.

Both Sayora and Yuki snapped their heads at Kyo.

"Hurry, splash him with cold water!" Yuki shouted to Shigure.

_Water!_

"But Kyo-kun hates water!" Sayora pointed out. "We can plug his throat with some leeks!"

_LEEKS!_ Kyo panicked, horrified at the thought. His face puffed up more. _God, where's the damn doctor when we need him!_

Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 6- Watch Out! A Snake!

Guess who suddenly pops up to visit Shigure and the others! None other than… our favorite no. 1lady clothes seller, Ayame! He's come with important information about something, or at least that's what he claims, but with him being as random and off track as he always is, will he ever get around to telling them what he came to tell them? And also, will he get a scolding from Sayora, or will Yuki be the one to get the scolding?


	6. Watch Out! A Snake!

**dna-** i am soooooooooooooooooo sorry... once again... i had some major writers block for a this chap and my yyh fanfic... well, ill try to update asap. newayz, i am such a BAKAME! i was talking to my friend about my story when all of a sudden, i go, "OMFG! I FORGOT COMPLETELY SKIPPED HALLOWEEN AND CHRISTMAS AND WENT STRAIGHT TO NEW YEARS!" i nearly killed myself for that one... shimatta... n then after that, i told my friend that there werent that many major holidays during the summer except the 4th of july and my friend looks at me weird. well, of course being me, i didnt get it right away. 4TH OF JULY IS AN AMERICAN HOLIDAY! DUH! im such a bakame... neway, enough of critizing myself for your entertainment... on with the chapter. once **_again_**, i am sorry...

**Hopeless Chapter 6- Watch Out! A Snake!**

Yuki and Kyo flinched at the familiar voice at the door that Shigure went to answer.

"Aya-san!" they heard Shigure shout happily. "Come in, come in!"

Shigure and Ayame walked into the living. Tohru turned around to greet him with a wide smile. Sayora looked at Ayame nervously. He hadn't changed a bit since they last met three years ago. Kyo and Yuki sat stiffly, wishing that Ayame would just disappear.

"What are you doing here?" Yuki asked, not actually wanting to know.

"_I_ have come with important information!" he said, acting as if he was an almighty messenger of a king. Then he spotted Sayora. "But first…" Ayame instantly went in front of Sayora and put his hand on her shoulder. He let it slide right above her chest, up her neck, and under her chin. He lifted her head up slightly. "Who is this gorgeous young lady here?"

Sayora was twitching. "W-what the hell are you doing!" she shouted as she slapped Ayame's hand away and took a few steps back.

"Awwww, what a cute girl," Ayame said smiling, trying to charm her.

Yuki and Kyo were disgusted.

"Aya-san, that's Sayora-chan," Shigure reminded.

"Whaaaaaat!" he asked surprised, taking a closer look. "Who knew that she would've grown up to be so cute and pretty?"

"Creep," Sayora muttered.

"Someone get me water," Ayame ordered.

"Get it yourself!" Kyo and Yuki shouted as Sayora grabbed Tohru's wrist to stop her from getting up.

"So Aya-san, what is this _important information_ exactly?" Shigure wondered curiously.

"Why it is very important, but before I reveal that information, I have to ask a favor from someone first," he said as he turned to Sayora. "Can I dress you up sometime? My store isn't that far from here."

"Hell no!" Sayora replied. "And what store?"

"Oh, Ayame-san owns a maiden's clothes store," Tohru answered happily.

"A _maiden's_ clothes store?" she repeated with a few sweat drops. "Is your store closing down anytime soon?"

"Closing down? Of course not!" Ayame replied. "How can_ my_ store close down? I have _hundred_ of customers each day requesting _my_ gorgeous gowns and dresses."

"Are you the only employee there?" Sayora asked again. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to work with _you_."

"Of course," he happily answered. "I have _one_ employee! Aren't you proud? She loves working at my _wondrous_ store!"

"Just tell us what you came for already!" Yuki demanded.

"Why my brother, you would look fabulous in one of my dresses!" Ayame said, angering Yuki. "With your feminine face and features, I'm sure you'd look better than any girl would. What do you say? Would you like to try on my best gown?"

"Feminine _features_?" Sayora asked. "Now that's just wrong."

"What're you talking about?" Kyo asked. "Everything about him says female!"

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru cried worriedly, seeing as how Kyo had just flown through the screen door, letting all of the cold air in.

"Children…" Shigure said but stopped abruptly when he heard a _poof_ sound.

Everyone turned towards the sound and found a white snake in Ayame's place. It was crawling towards Tohru, trying to seek shelter under her skirt, or in her shirt. However, before Ayame made it, a foot landed roughly on his back. The white snake was squirming around, trying to get lose.

"If you ever do something like that again… I will lock you in the freezer and let you die in there!" Yuki threatened.

"Why not just bury him in the snow?" Sayora asked calmly.

"Oh no! It's okay!" Tohru quickly defended. "Ayame-san was just cold, and he didn't even do anything to me, so it's okay!"

"Yuki-kun, get your foot off of him before he crawls up _your_ skirt," Shigure said teasingly, making a few veins pop out of Yuki's head and fist. "Oh wait… you're not wearing one, are you? Ahahahahahaha-!"

In just a few seconds, Shigure found himself face down on the floor with Yuki's foot on his head.

"Shigure-san!" Tohru cried.

"I don't know what he's so angry about," Kyo whispered to Sayora. "It's not like he's never worn a skirt beFOOOORRREEEE!" Kyo shouted as he flew face first into the snow for the second time.

"Yuki-kun, you've worn a skirt!" she asked stunned. "I know that you're girly but I never thought that you _wanted_ to be a giIIIIIIRRRRLLLLL!"

Sayora went right through the roof.

"Sayora-san! Kyo-kun!" Tohru shouted in concern.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Tohru was fixing up the torn screen door. Shigure had finally convinced Yuki to let Ayame live, and Kyo and Sayora were sitting there being bored. Ayame still hadn't transformed back.

Sayora stared at the wall when suddenly, she felt something on her hand. She looked down and saw Ayame.

"Whadda you want _now_?" she asked tiredly.

_Poof!_ (I'm sure I don't need to explain this)

Sayora had at least a few hundred sweat drops on her head.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed as she punched Ayame as hard as she could.

He flew right threw the living room door and into the hallway.

Sayora was completely out of breath, appalled at what she had just witnessed.

"That's it. I'm killing him as soon as he gets some clothes on!" Yuki said, trying to stay calm.

"Huh? Did something happen?" Tohru asked cluelessly, turning around and looking towards the hallway.

"No! Nothing!" Kyo quickly answered. "Don't look! Go back to fixing the door!"

Kyo ran to blocked Tohru's view, but not without tripping over his own feet and falling on top of her, causing him to transform.

_Poof!_

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru cried.

"Oh my poor beautiful face!" came Ayame's voice from outside. "How could you do such a thing to _my_ beautiful face! You cruel_, cruel_ girl!"

"Ayame-san?" Tohru asked, walking to the hallway.

"Ah, Tohru-kun, there's nothing to see out there!" Shigure said.

"What do you mean there's nothing to see?" he asked. "There are plenty of things to see out here!"

"Disgusting!" Sayora shouted.

Shigure got up to block Tohru's view. However, he tripped over one of the cushions on the floor and hugged Tohru by accident.

_Poof!_

Yuki sighed, trying to calm down.

"Shigure-san, are you okay?" Tohru asked, noticing Yuki walking towards the backdoor. "Yuki-kun, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the kitchen," he told her with a smile. _To get a knife!_

"Oh, then would you mind taking this with you?" she asked, getting the cups of tea that were left on the table.

She ran over to give them to him, but she unexpectedly tripped over Kyo and fell on Yuki.

_Poof!_

"What's all the commotion in there?" Ayame asked curiously, poking his head into the living room.

"Ayame-san?" Tohru asked as she walked over to the door.

However, before she could reach, Sayora suddenly appeared in front of her and yanked the door shut.

"Get some damn clothes on!" she practically screamed.

-----Few More Moments Later-----

Ayame walked into the living room with his clothes on. Nobody except for Tohru and Shigure bothered looking at him.

"So, Aya-san, what was this important information?" Shigure tried asking again.

"Oh, I have a lot of important information," he answered, causing Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora to roll their eyes. "However, the ones for my dearest brother must come first naturally. Take a look at this!"

He pulled out a huge photo album and slammed it on the table in front of Yuki.

"Do I _want_ to know what this is?" Yuki asked nervously.

"_This,_ my little brother, will help you to understand your brother more!" Ayame answered optimistically.

He flipped open the book. Yuki, Sayora, and Kyo stared at the pictures… with a few huge sweat drops. Ayame flipped through each page of the book, all of them containing a picture of him in a different,_ charming_ pose and in different clothes.

"See? Isn't your big brother gorgeous?" he asked Yuki, not even one fourth through his twelve-inch album.

No one except for Tohru was even paying attention to him at this point. Shigure was just reading the newspaper.

"Awwwww… why does no one want to understand me more?" he whined.

No reply whatsoever, not even from Tohru.

"Okay then," he said slamming another twelve-inch album book open on the table. "Let's understand Yuki more!"

"Oh, how cute!" Tohru said looking at the pictures.

Yuki's head snapped around as did Kyo's, Sayora's, and Shigure's. They looked at the pictures of Yuki when he was in grade school. Kyo, Sayora, and Shigure tried their best to hold back the laughter that was threatening to burst out any moment.

Ayame continued to flip through the book. Each picture had him dressed in a different _girl's_ clothes whether it was him in a skirt, a dress, a spaghetti strap tank top, or in flares. With each picture that he saw, his vein grew twice as large. Finally, the three couldn't hold it in any longer. They burst out laughing. Shigure was rolling on the ground while Kyo and Sayora were making fun of Yuki between their breaths.

"If you think that's funny, you should see the one where they put him in a two piece bathing suit," Ayame said to the three who were dying with laughter.

"A-a-ah… Y-Yuki-k-k-k-kun……." Tohru stuttered, seeing as how Yuki's eyes were literally glowing blood red.

Shigure, Kyo, and Sayora suddenly choked after seeing Yuki's glare, not wanting to laugh anymore. Ayame was smiling happily at Yuki. Tohru tried to calm Yuki down, miserably failing.

"Y-Yuki-kun…" she said, trembling from the sight of Yuki.

Yuki grabbed the nearest metal object and…

_**Please Wait a Moment…**_

Sayora, Kyo, Shigure, and Ayame were a bloody pulp on the ground. Tohru looked at them with concern as she ran over to them.

"Oh my god! Kyo-kun, Shigure-san, Ayame-san, Sayora-san!" she said, not knowing what to do. "W-what should I do?"

All of a sudden, Ayame was over by Yuki, scaring Tohru half to death.

"My dear little brother, how could you do something so horrid to your beloved Nii-san?" he asked, putting a hand over his head.

"Damn you!" Sayora shouted at Ayame. "If you hadn't got that dumb album book out, we wouldn't have been smacked about a hundred times around with a metal stick!"

"Awww… don't blame _me_ for trying to get my precious little brother to understand me more," he whined.

"Just… what did you come here for?" Sayora asked sighing.

"_I_ have come with important information," he said.

………Silence……….

"Nii-san," Yuki called, sounding almost cheerful.

"Yuki, my brother, you have finally called for me!" Ayame exclaimed. "Do you wish to spend some time with me so we can learn more about each other?"

"Do you really want to know me all that much?" he asked, just as cheerful sounding as the last time.

"Of course!" he replied happily.

Yuki knocked Ayame through the fixed screen door and into the snow. Within a few seconds, he transformed into a snake.

"Too bad you'll never get that chance!" Yuki said coldly as he walked out of the living room. "I'm sorry Honda-san. I broke the screen door again."

"T-that's okay…" she trailed off as he was walking out of the living room.

Tohru looked at Yuki, then looked at Ayame worriedly. Shigure looked up from his newspaper and watched Yuki walk away. Kyo watched from the corner of his eye, a little surprised at how coldly Yuki had spoken to his brother. Sayora looked at Yuki until he left the room, then to Ayame and sighed sadly as she got up and walked to the backyard. She had hoped that they would've gotten closer, even a little.

Kyo, Shigure, and Tohru watched Sayora as she walked into the snow and gently pick up the white snake who was knocked out by the cold weather. She brought him back inside and placed him in a small basket and put a towel over him to keep him warm.

"Sayora-san, where are you going?" Tohru asked, seeing as how Sayora was walking out of the living room and was headed towards the front door.

"Outside," she simply replied.

"Shouldn't you get a coat?" she suggested. "It's cold outside, and it's still snowing."

"I'll be fine."

"Ah, Sayora-san-"

"Tohru-kun, let her be," Shigure said with an assuring smile. "She'll be fine."

"Okay…" Tohru replied, a bit down. _I hope Yuki-kun and Ayame-san are alright… Sayora-san too…_

-----Couple Hours Later-----

Sayora began to walk home. On the way, she passed by Yuki, Tohru, and Ayame. They were about to buy dinner for the first time in while since Tohru came to live with them.

"Sayora-san," Yuki acknowledged. "What are you doing out here, and without a coat too. Aren't you cold?"

"No, I'm fine," she answered. "Wow, what a surprise. You two are actually getting along."

"I know!" Ayame agreed. "It was all thanks to my hard work! I had to go through the trouble of bringing Tohru-kun along to get Yuki to come but… hm?"

Sayora was staring at Ayame, not believing how stupid he could be.

"What?" he asked cluelessly.

"Honda-san, let's go buy the food," Yuki said, trying not to punch Ayame again.

"Okay!" Tohru replied cheerfully, not getting it either.

Sayora sighed.

"What?" Ayame asked again. "Did I do something?"

"You need to watch what you say," Sayora said. "Some things are best kept to yourself."

Ayame let out a little laugh.

"I know, but I just want him to see me as a responsible big brother," he replied. "I know what I did back then was mean, but it's not like I can go back and fix it now. I want him to give me a chance to make it up to him. I really do wish that we can both get along as siblings."

"I know… but you can't be to only one to put effort into this…"

"I know," Ayame answered. "Tohru-kun told us to meet each other halfway. I guess that isn't working so well…"

"But just suddenly meeting halfway won't work… you both have to take steps forward to get there, won't you? If Yuki-kun won't take those steps, then do you think that you can walk those steps for him too? That's what it means to be a brother, right?"

"Yeah, but then again, how am I supposed to know…?"

-----Inside the Restaurant-----

"For here or to go?" the clerk asked.

"To go please," Yuki answered.

"All right, that'll be 900 yen."

Tohru reached into her purse and took out her wallet.

"No! I'll pay for it Honda-san," Yuki quickly said, pulling out his wallet as well.

"Are you sure?" Tohru asked.

"Don't worry," he assured as he handed the clerk the money.

"Okay," she replied with a smile that Yuki returned.

"Thank you," the clerk said to them. "It'll be about fifteen minutes, so please wait."

"Thank you," Yuki replied.

The two took a seat by the window and waited for their food. Yuki looked out the window to see Ayame and Sayora outside waiting for them. He wondered what they were talking about. Ayame had sort of a sad smile on his face and Sayora seemed to be down as well. Then, Tohru pulled him out of his thoughts.

"So you and Ayame-san have never gotten along?" Tohru asked.

"Huh? Uh, yeah," Yuki responded, half aware of what was going on.

"I see…" Tohru trailed off. "I hope that you two will be able to get along sometime."

"Yeah," he replied, looking out the window again.

From where he was watching, Ayame looked like an older brother… a really good and caring older brother. He really did. Maybe he really _did_ change.

"_Nii-san…" Yuki called, grabbing the sleeve of Ayame's shirt._

"_Leave me alone!" he ordered as he shook him off._

"It really is… too late to tell him _'sorry,' _" Ayame said to Sayora. "It's too late to tell him _'I understand how you feel now…'_ "

"Maybe he's just waiting for those words," Sayora replied, watching Yuki and Tohru pick up the food.

"It's not that easy you know?" he asked.

"You want to be his brother, don't you?"

"That's why I'll take those extra steps for him and apologize when I reach him at the end of the path that I have to walk… even if I don't know how…"

Yuki and Tohru came out of the restaurant holding two bags each. Ayame and Sayora joined them.

"My dear little brother, let me take a bag for you!" Ayame offered.

Yuki freaked out.

"_You!_?" he asked. "_You_ want to hold a bag?"

"Why of course," he answered as he took a bag from Yuki. "That's what _any_ older brother would do. That's just common sense."

"The only problem is you don't have any," Yuki insulted.

"Now that's just mean," he whined. "How could you say that to your beautiful and beloved brother?"

Tohru smiled at the two siblings as they continued to _talk_ to each other.

"Want me to take one?" Sayora offered to Tohru.

"Oh, thank you," she said as Sayora took a bag from her.

-----At Home-----

"Oh my, that's quite a lot of food," Shigure commented as they came in.

Sayora helped Tohru set the table.

-----During Dinner-----

"I think I like Tohru-kun's food better," Shigure said.

"Oh no, my food isn't _that_ good," Tohru denied.

"Honda-san, may I have seconds please?" he asked.

"Sure!" she answered happily as she got Yuki another bowl of rice.

"My little brother, you shouldn't eat so much," Ayame said. "If you do, you'll get fat."

A scallop suddenly landed in Kyo's face.

"What the hell was that for you damn rat!" Kyo exploded.

"Sorry, I missed," Yuki said, not really caring.

"Now that's mean," Ayame said. "I was only concerned about your perfectly beautiful feminine figure. I mean, wouldn't you rather have people mistaken you for a pretty girl instead of a fat one?"

Fish bones landed on Kyo's face this time, making him tremble in anger. Shigure, Tohru, and Sayora were starting to get nervous.

"Leave me outta this, alright!" Kyo asked angrily.

"Sorry, I missed again," Yuki replied, trying not to kill Ayame.

"And you shouldn't be so violent my dear brother," he said. "If you keep acting like that, people will think that you're a tomboy."

A plate smashed into Kyo's face. Yuki stood up and glared at Ayame with blood thirsty eyes while Kyo stood up glaring at Yuki.

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt," Sayora said.

"I hope Kyo-kun's face is all right," Tohru said worriedly.

"No, I meant the comment," she corrected.

"The one about Yuki-kun being a tomboy?" Shigure asked.

"Yeah," Sayora replied. "And before it's too late, I think we should call Hatori-san."

"I think it's already too late for that," he said as the three started a food fight battle royal.

----- Hour Later-----

"If my house is filled with cockroaches by morning, I'm kicking you both out," Shigure threatened, seeing as how the room was covered with food as well as everyone who was there.

-----At the Main House-----

"You better clean out my car," Hatori said to Ayame. "The front seat has food stains on it. If it doesn't come off, I'll amputate your arms."

"But I need my arms to make my famous gowns and dresses," Ayame whined.

"I know," Hatori replied flatly. "Did you tell them about Akito?"

No reply.

"I should've known…"

"I think they'll be okay though," Ayame said, looking on the bright side.

"Yuki may be okay, but what about Sayora…?"

**-----Next Chapter's Preview-----**

Hopeless Chapter 7- The Season of Winter

Hiro, Kisa, Momiji, Hatsuharu, Yuki, Kyo, Shigure, Sayora, and Tohru all go to one of the parks that the Soumas own to play in the snow like they had planned for a few weeks now. They build snowmen, have snowball fights and such. However, their fun gets cut short when Akito and Hatori pay an unexpected visit. How will Sayora react to this sudden visit?


	7. The Season of Winter

**zz4ever**- I don't know who you are and I don't give a shit! I'm reading _coshi_'s story not because she's my friend but because I think it's worth my time. To be honest, I'm not the type to go around telling people that I like their story when I don't, and I like her story just fine. She a writer with lots of talent. Sure, her writing isn't perfect, but neither is mine. I wouldn't have given a shit if you critcized _my_ story, but when you say shit about my friend's story when it isn't true, that's when I get ticked off! If you intended to crush _coshi_, then I regret to inform you that she merely laughed it off. But even if she didn't mind, I do! _"Oh, I think you have real talent!"_ Bullshit! Don't even think about complimenting my story if you're gonna tell me how fucked up other people's are. If you hate _coshi_'s story so much, then I don't know why you're wasting your time with my story seeing as how I think she has much more talent then I do! So, you think that she'sa horrible writer and that I'm some kind of goddess? Tell me, how much talent doesn't take to tell you in words that you're a bitch? Fuckin piece of shit! Asswipe! You like my story? Good for you, but please don't leave a review again!

**dna- **newayz, is there any point at all in saying im srry anymore? i wouldnt think so... but i swear im getting these chapters out as soon as i possibly can. my mom was and is still sick, and i had to go to point look out two days ago and sleep over at my cuz's house yesterday. i swear i got stung by at least twenty jellyfish and it hurt like shit... there are sooooooooooooo many, and i got so tanned. i told my cousin that it looks like i outlined it and he said that it looked like white-out. lol. n my bro got sunburned so bad his back was all red and stuff... well newayz, enjoy this chapter, n as usual, i will try to get the chapters out asap!

**Hopeless Chapter 7- The Season of Winter**

Tohru took off her scarf and wrapped it around the snowman she and Kisa had just finished making.

"Wow, that's a really impressive snowman," Yuki complimented.

Though it was only about eight, they had already arrived at one of the many houses that the Soumas own to fully enjoy winter.

Hiro looked at Tohru annoyed. He wanted to spend some _alone time_ with Kisa. He wouldn't have bothered coming but came anyway because Kisa wanted to. Shigure was inside the warm house reading a book, constantly looking out the window at the others and smiling to himself. Kyo and Sayora were dealing with Haru's black mode while Momiji joined Tohru, Kisa, and Yuki.

"You're so goddamn annoying when you change to black mode!" Kyo complained.

Haru threw Kyo into the snow. Kyo didn't stay down for long though. He immediately got back up and punched Haru to the ground.

"He's stronger than usual," Sayora pointed out. "I guess he's in an extra bad mood."

"Strong my ass!" Kyo said. "You mean he's _weaker_ than usual! Whoa!"

Hatsuharu pulled Kyo's leg, making him fall into the snow.

"How pathetic, getting caught off guard like that!" Sayora teased.

All of a sudden, Haru was behind her. He put his arms around her, constricting her arms as well. Kyo got up and walked the opposite direction.

"Look who's talkin," Kyo said unconcerned.

"God dammit, let go!" Sayora shouted.

"Don't you want to have some _fun_?" Haru asked in a creepy voice.

Sayora flinched. Haru was playing with the collar of her shirt.

"Kyo-kun… help me…" she said in a quiet yet panicked voice.

"Help yourself!" Kyo ignored.

Kyo was walking towards Tohru and the others. He was halfway there when Sayora shrieked, getting his and everyone else's attention, even Shigure who was in the house.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO! LET GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! AS SOON AS I GET OUT OF THIS, I SWEAR I'M GONNA ROAST YOU ALIVE OVER A GRILL! I SAID **LET GO**!" (cowbeefsteak)

Kyo turned around to see what was going on as well as everyone else. Sayora was literally kicking and screaming, and everyone could see why. Haru's hand was crawling up her shirt!

"O-oi! Stop!" Kyo shouted as he raced to Sayora and Haru.

"Sayora-san!" Yuki yelled as he rushed to her as well.

"I don't want to see what you two are up to!" Hiro shouted, blocking Kisa's view. "If you two have something to do, at least get out of my sight!"

"AFTER I'M DONE GRILLING THIS BIG PIECE OF STEAK, I'M GONNA GRILL YOU TOO YOU SMART ASS SHEEP!"

Despite the fact that Yuki has twice as far from Sayora than Kyo, he still made it in time to land a punch in Haru's face at the same time Kyo did. Hatsuharu fell backwards, freeing Sayora from his grip.

"Sayora-san, are you………..o…kay…?" Yuki trailed off as he and Kyo watched Sayora with a sweat drop.

She didn't hear Yuki at all. She was too busy trying to kill Haru.

"H-Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru cried.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" Momiji laughed. "It looks like Sayo's tap dancing on top of Haru! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! It looks so funny! Hahaha!"

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU WERE IN YOUR STUPID ASS BLACK MODE OR YELLOW MODE OR GREEN OR BLUE OR PURPLE OR YOUR JACKASS MODE! IF YOU **_EVER_** DO THAT AGAIN, I SWEAR I'LL DO MORE THAN BEAT YOUR ASS!" Sayora screamed as she continued to _kill_ Hatsuharu.

"Sayora-san, there won't _be_ a next time if this keeps up," Yuki said. "He'll be dead..."

"Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru shouted worriedly as she ran over to join Kyo and Yuki.

"Sayora nee-san," Kisa said quietly.

"Honestly, they really _should _get a room," Hiro commented.

Suddenly, someone came and grabbed Sayora from behind. It was a pretty weak grab, so it couldn't have been Kyo or Yuki. Sayora turned around to see Tohru.

"Sayora-san, please stop!" she begged.

She was going to yell at Tohru but decided not to after seeing the look on her face. Besides, it wasn't like Haru did it on purpose anyway.

"Whatever," Sayora said, calming down as Tohru let go of her.

"Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru said in concern as she went next to him.

-----Thirty Minutes Later-----

Shigure was still in the house reading his book, constantly glancing out the window. Kisa, Momiji. Kyo, Yuki, and Hatsuharu, who had reverted back to himself, were with Tohru who was making snow angles. Hiro was with them because Kisa was with them. Sayora was making snowmen.

"Hiro-san, don't you want to make a snow angel too?" Tohru asked cheerfully.

"No!" he snapped. "Making snow angels is stupid! There's no point and it's so childish!"

"I don't think it's childish!" Momiji disagreed as he happily joined Tohru.

"Because you _are_ childish!"

"Um… I think it looks fun…" Kisa said quietly to Hiro. "I-I want to make snow angels with you too…"

"See?" Momiji asked. "Even Kisa thinks it's fun."

Hiro balled up his hand. "Fine, let's make snow angels."

A happy smile grew on Kisa's face.

_Stupid girl!_ Hiro thought. _Always humiliating me like that!_

So Hiro winded up making snow angels as well as Yuki and Hatsuharu. Kyo objected to making snow angels until Haru decided to start a snow angel competition, however that was done…

"I'll beat that damn rat!" Kyo said, completely psyched.

"Alright, let's see who can make the most snow angels in one minute," Haru said. "Ready… set… go!"

The main competition was between Yuki and Kyo. They were both at least on their twentieth angel when everyone else was only on their third. The two of them were going so fast that it looked as if they were just rolling on the snow. Suddenly, they bumped into each other by accident.

"Watch where you're going you damn rat!" Kyo shouted.

"You watch where _you're _going!" Yuki argued.

"_You _bumped into _me_!"

"Don't blame me for what you did!"

"Oh yeah?" Kyo asked as he got up.

Yuki stood up as well and jumped back to get distance between himself and Kyo. Kyo ran at Yuki, ready to attack him.

"Time's up!" Haru announced, interrupting their fight. "Yuki won."

"What?" Kyo shouted.

"You would've beaten him by three, but you killed a few of your angels when you ran," he replied.

Kyo spun around and noticed footprints running across the angels.

"Arrrghh!" Kyo shouted once more. "You did that on purpose!"

"No I didn't," Yuki denied calmly.

"How can you even tell which angel is whose?"

"The thorny head angels are yours," Haru said to Kyo, "and the smooth head angels are Yuki's."

While the three were arguing, Tohru walked over to Sayora.

"Sayora-san, won't you join us?" she asked.

"Uh, sure," Sayora replied. "Hold on a minute."

"What are you doing?"

"Building snowmen…"

Tohru looked at the six inch snowmen that were on the ground and got a bit nervous.

"You tryin to pick a fight with me?" Kyo shouted, causing her to look over.

"Let's start another round…" Hatsuharu suggested.

"You're goin down!"

"Dreaming once in a while is nice, but sometimes you need to face the facts," Yuki replied, calm as always.

"C'mon! You wanna fight me right now?" he shouted.

"I don't want you to waste what little energy you have."

"Oh yeah?"

"Finished!" Sayora announced proudly.

Everyone turned to her and looked at the snowmen. Kyo, Yuki, and Hiro were twitching. Haru didn't seem to mind all that much. There was a wolf (Sayora) with what seemed like a balled up paw on the cat's face. On a closer inspection, they noticed that the wolf was actually stuffing a mouse down the cat's mouth. In the wolf's mouth was a sheep. And the cow right next to it looked like it had a stick through it, and beside the cow was a fire, or at least they thought so.

Sayora was laughing triumphantly until she got a mouthful of snow coming from Kyo's direction.

"Stuff _that_ down your throat, you damn wo-!"

A snowball hit Kyo hard in the face before he got the chance to finish.

Sayora was about to throw another snowball but Kyo threw his first and hit Sayora on the head, causing the snowball to slip out of her hands and hit Hiro. Hiro was trembling in anger.

"H-Hiro-chan…" Kisa said nervously.

Hiro picked up a snowball and chucked it at Sayora but hit Yuki instead.

"Yay!" Momiji shouted. "Snowball fight!"

He picked up a snowball and threw it at Haru who didn't react at all.

"I'll go get Shigure-san," Tohru said happily, glad that they're all having fun.

Tohru ran into the house.

"Shigure-san, won't you come join us?" she asked.

"Hm?" Shigure asked, looking up from his book.

"We're having a snowball fight!"

"Oh, that sounds fun," Shigure said with a smile.

"Will you join us?"

"I'll be out in a minute Tohru-kun."

"Okay!"

With that, Tohru ran outside to join the others in the snowball fight.

"I'm gonna beat you up so bad you damn-!" A snowball hit Kyo's head.

"Shut up," Yuki ordered.

"Why you-!" He was hit with another snowball.

"That's what happens when you talk," Sayora replied calmly.

"Let me finish dam-!" Another snowball.

"You're hurting my ears," Haru said.

"I'm gonna kill you all!" Kyo screamed as he picked up snowballs, chucking them left and right.

Two hit Hiro in the face before he could open his mouth to complain about anything, and one hit Kisa on her side when she ran to check on Hiro. Tohru put up her hands to protect her body a bit from being hit with the snowballs. Momiji was just having fun trying to compete with Kyo. He threw a snowball and got hit with three; threw another one and got hit with five. Haru and Yuki hid behind the same tree while Sayora ran back towards the house. All of a sudden, the door opened at the perfect moment. Sayora jumped behind Shigure.

"I'm ready for the snowball fi-" Shigure started to announce but was unable to finish, seeing as how a firm snowball connected hard with his head.

Kyo stopped for a moment as everyone turned to look at Shigure who looked around at everybody, wondering why they were staring.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Can you even throw a snowball?" Kyo questioned.

"Why of course I can," Shigure answered and went on. "Believe it or not, back in my high school days, I was known as the _Snow Demon_, especially in snowball fights. I was a master at making and throwing snowballs I'll have you know."

"Wow!" Tohru replied amazed. "That's amazing Shigure-san. I never knew you were so great!"

"Me neither," Sayora muttered. "And I never knew you were big and hairy…"

Shigure happened to hear what Sayora said.

"If you don't believe me, then I'll prove it to you," Shigure said as he bent down to pick up some snow, balling it up into a snowball. "See? Look at my perfect snowball!"

It went silent for a couple minutes. Then Momiji burst out laughing.

"That looks like your head!" Sayora shouted.

"You're so mean," Shigure whined. "It may look like a bunch of grapes, but you shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"Do you even have the strength to throw a snowball far enough to hit us?" Kyo asked.

"Of course I do!" he answered happily as he threw the snowball

Everyone looked at it with sweat drops. Sayora backed away from Shigure and went to join the others. The snowball was in the air a few inches over him and looked as if it were going a bit higher. Unfortunately for Shigure, it hit the side of the roof, causing the snow on top of the roof to come rushing down on him. Soon enough, he was buried under the snow.

"Idiot," Yuki said, putting a hand to his head and sighing.

"Shigure-san! Are you alright?" Tohru asked.

Shigure's head popped out of the snow.

"Don't worry Tohru-kun. I'll be fine. I'm the 'Snow Demon'," he replied as more snow fell and covered his head once again.

-----Few Minutes Later-----

"What a stupid guy!" Hiro said. "He's an adult and he still acts like a grade school kid!"

"Does that mean he acts like you?" Sayora joked.

"Shut up!" Hiro shouted.

"H-Hiro-chan…" Kisa said, nervous as always.

"Now, now, try not to get in a fight, okay?" Shigure asked. "I'm going inside."

"Oh, but won't you stay and play in the snow some more Shigure-san?" Tohru wondered.

"It's alright," he replied with a smile. "I'm getting cold. You guys go on and have fun."

Shigure walked back in the house.

"What do you want to do next?" Sayora asked Kisa.

"Umm…" she was cut off when Kyo charged towards them yelling his head off.

Everyone turned to look at him, even Shigure who was in the house already.

"What are you screaming about _now_?" Yuki sighed.

"Goddamn you, you damn wolf!" he shouted at Sayora. "I swear you did this on purpose!"

Behind Kyo were at least ten wolves chasing him hungrily. Sayora looked at him.

_The wolves dragged Kyo off and were munching happily on him. _

Sayora erased the thought out of her head before she really _did_ let the wolves have him for an appetizer.

_I'm turning evil_, she thought as she laughed quietly to herself. "Hey, back off," Sayora ordered as the wolves stopped chasing Kyo. "He's not food."

"Ah, where are you going Sayora-san?" Tohru asked.

"I'm taking these guys back," Sayora replied.

With that, Sayora walked into the woods with the wolves following behind her. A few minutes after she left, a car pulled up at the Souma house. Hatori stepped out.

"Hatori?" Yuki asked, wondering why he was here.

He did not reply however, and opened the back door. Everyone's cheerful mood faded away when they saw who stepped out. Kisa hid behind Hiro as he gave her his hand to hold onto.

"Akito…" Haru said quietly.

"Hm? Yuki! How have you been?" Akito asked him happily as he walked up to him.

Yuki backed up a bit nervously.

"Now, now, that's no way to say 'hi' to me. I came all the way from home just to check on everyone."

Yuki didn't reply.

"You've grown quite rude Yuki," Akito said. "Why don't you answer me when I speak to you? Or do you want to go back to-"

"Akito," Hatori interrupted.

"What?" he asked.

"You should go inside and stay warm. You're still sick."

"Hmph! Fine then," he replied. "Yuki, I'll deal with you later then. Hatori, let's go!"

Akito walked into the house with Hatori behind him.

_Thank you Hatori…_ Yuki thought relieved.

"What the hell is _he_ here for?" Kyo asked.

"Kisa, are you okay?" Hiro asked worriedly as Kisa nodded in answer.

"Yuki, what about you?" Haru asked. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…" he answered quietly.

"Should someone go tell Sayo?" Momiji asked Haru who didn't reply.

In fact, he didn't even hear what Momiji asked him. He was too worried about Sayora. Haru hoped that she wouldn't leave the forest until Akito left.

_Everyone feels so uneasy…_ Tohru thought helplessly. "Um… let's build a snowman!" she suggested.

"I don't feel like it," Kyo replied.

"I'm sorry Honda-san," Yuki said. "I don't feel like it either.

"You really _are_ a stupid woman," Hiro said, not meaning to sound harsh. "What kind of person could make a snowman in a moment like this?"

"She was only trying to help," Haru told him.

"I know! I was just…" he trailed off.

"No, I'm sorry…" Tohru apologized. "Hiro-san is right. I don't know what I was thinking…"

"It's not your fault," Kyo said firmly. "You were just trying to help."

"I wonder how long he's going to stay here…" Momiji said gloomily.

-----In the House-----

Shigure looked up from his book when he heard the door open and close.

"Akito-san!" he greeted with a smile. "What a surprise! I didn't expect you to be here."

"When I heard that you and the others were coming here to have fun, I thought I'd drop by and surprise everyone," Akito said.

"That's very thoughtful of you," Shigure replied.

"Of course. Anyway, where is she?" he asked.

"Hm? You mean Sayora-chan?" he also asked. "She went into the woods. Did you come to take her back?"

"She needs to learn her place. If she thinks that she can escape from me without consequence, then I'll have to teach her the hard way."

"So you _are_ going to take her back."

Akito didn't reply to Shigure.

"Hatori, leave," Akito commanded.

Hatori did as he was told and went outside to join the other Jyuunishi, leaving Akito and Shigure alone.

"What is it?" Akito asked Shigure.

"Hmm?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I know you have something on your mind. Now what is it?"

"Well… I was thinking…" Shigure began. "Instead of taking her back now, why not take her back later?"

"What's the point in that?"

"She's starting to get used to us. If you take her away when she's close to us…"

"You truly _are_ evil," Akito said as Shigure smiled.

"The higher she is, the harder the fall. What do _you_ think Akito-san?"

"Alright then, I'll wait. But a little scare might be nice for her, just as a warning not to get too comfortable," Akito replied with a smirk.

-----Sayora-----

She was on her way back out of the woods. It took at least nearly half an hour to get the wolves to stop following her and she still had quite a way to go before she got out of the forest. Suddenly, she heard something.

_Great, are the damn wolves following me again?_ she thought as she looked around to find nothing except for trees. _My imagination I guess._

She continued to walk when she heard a noise yet again, causing her to look around to find nothing once more. A vein grew on her head.

_I'm gonna pummel that stupid cat when I get back! His dumb ass shouting and screaming got me hearing things!_

Sayora was about to continue when she saw another figure quite a distance away.

"Yuki-kun?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

No answer.

"Yuki-kun?" _No, Yuki-kun isn't that tall. And his hair isn't that dark… shit!_

The figure walked closer, making Sayora take steps back.

"Akito!" she exclaimed in a whisper.

"There you are," Akito said to her.

He continued to approach her as she backed away.

"Did you seriously think that you could run away from me?" he asked.

"Why… why are you here?" Sayora asked, her voice only a little above a whisper.

"Tell me, are you all that happy living with the others?"

Sayora didn't reply. She tried to back up more when Akito walked up closer to her, but she was already against a tree.

"Well let me ask you this. Are _they_ happy having you interfere in their lives?"

No reply.

"Or do you think you're not interfering?" Akito asked. After getting no response, he continued. "They're just being polite. Think about it. They're not used to having you around. How do you know that they even care about what happens to you, an outsider?"

Sayora stayed silent, trembling slightly.

"Remember, they don't even know who you are. You weren't meant to live the kind of life where you get to make contact with other humans. It was impossible for you from the start. You may enjoy living with them, but how do you know what they're really thinking about you? They don't even except you, and you don't deserve their kindness. All you do is trouble them, my precious Jyuunishi."

Snow started to fall. Akito smirked.

"Don't get too close to them. It's for your own good. If you get too comfortable, you might regret it later, seeing as how you have no one to comfort you."

Akito turned around and left, relieving Sayora that he wasn't going to do anything to her this time.

-----At the House-----

Hatori went back into the house. Shigure looked up and smiled at him.

"Where's Akito?" Hatori asked after not seeing him with Shigure.

"Hmm? Akito-san?" Shigure asked, pretending to be clueless.

"Alright, what did you do this time?"

"Huh? What ever do you mean Haa-san?"

"If you don't tell me, I'll tie a rope to you neck and drag you along behind my car."

"Okay, Akito-san went after Sayora-chan," Shigure confessed right away.

Hatori stared at Shigure.

"And you let him?"

"Well……."

"You _suggested _it," Hatori said more than asked.

"It can't be that bad. After all, Akito-san isn't going to take her back."

"You should care for her a bit more. She's still our cousin. You know how bad Akito can get with her."

"I suppose, but-" he stopped when the door opened.

"Hatori, we're leaving," Akito said.

"Oh, already?" Shigure asked. "Then I'll escort you to the car."

Hatori, Shigure, and Akito walked out of the house and towards Hatori's car. Kyo and Haru glared at him. Kisa hid behind Hiro and Tohru, and Momiji just looked up at him. Yuki avoided Akito. Everyone let out a breath of relief when Hatori's car drove off.

"It looks like Sayora was able to avoid him this time," Haru said.

"Yeah…" Yuki agreed.

-----Couple Hours Later-----

"It's getting late," Tohru said. "I'm worried about Sayora-san. She hasn't come back yet…"

"Tch, don't waste your worry on her," Kyo told.

"What the stupid cat means is that she can be like this," Yuki informed. "Sayora-san can stay in one place for hours at a time. She likes it, so it's okay."

"What the hell do you mean stupid cat?" Kyo shouted.

"How immature," Hiro sighed, seeing as how Kyo and Yuki were arguing once again.

"Hiro-chan," Kisa called.

"What?"

"I want to go inside…"

"Yes, I think we should all go inside," Shigure said.

"Awwww... no more playing in the snow?" Momiji whined.

"We'll play more tomorrow Momiji-kun," he replied.

-----Hour Later-----

Kyo was on the roof after getting into another fight with Yuki. Everyone else was in the house.

"It's getting a bit _too_ late," Haru said. "We should go out and look for her."

Hatsuharu was about to put on his coat when Shigure stopped him.

"Actually, I think it might be better to let her be right now," he said.

"It's already nine Shigure," Yuki pointed out.

"Well you see, Akito-san sort of… paid her a visit."

"What?" Haru and Yuki exclaimed at the same time.

"Akito-san paid her a visit," Shigure repeated.

"…Poor Sayo…" Momiji said a bit down.

"Sayora nee-san…" Kisa said. "Hiro-chan, I'm worried about Sayora nee-san…"

"Ah, she'll be okay Kisa," Hiro told her comfortingly.

"Shigure, why did you let him go?" Yuki asked.

"Well, I couldn't have stopped him, could I?" Shigure asked.

"This is bad," Haru said more to himself than to anyone else.

"Um… what's going on?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"Well, I guess you can say that Sayora-chan and Akito-san don't get along too well," Shigure said.

_Akito-san… a lot of people are hurt because of him…_ Tohru thought sadly. _Everyone… everyone gets sad when they see him…_

"Well then, I'll be up in my room."

With that, Shigure went up the stairs and left the others alone.

"Akito… he better not have done anything to her…" Haru said in a half dangerous tone.

-----Sayora-----

Sayora walked around in the woods absentmindedly when she came to the edge of a cliff. Below her were the trees and the ground that was softly layered with more and more snow. The snow kept falling slowly from the sky, landing on her gently. Though it was dark, the view she saw was beautiful.

"_You weren't meant to live the kind of life where you get to make contact with other humans."_

"_They don't even except you, and you don't deserve their kindness."_

"_How do you know that they even care about what happens to you, an outsider?"_

Sayora looked up slightly. When she did, a snow fell beside her eye and melted, and then rolled down her cheek. She wiped away the icy water and looked at her hand where the traces of water were left.

_Snow… that's right… winter… my favorite season of the year… _

"_Why's winter your favorite season?"_

_I never really knew the answer to that question… maybe it was because I feel a strong connection to it. Winter is cold, and it's a strong season. Most people love it for the snow, but for me, I know it's different. Maybe winter made me forget how warm it felt to have people around… or maybe it forced me to hold onto how much it hurts to be left alone all the time even when I'm surrounded by people… or maybe it was because winter cried the icy tears that were frozen inside of me all the time._

The snow started to fall heavier.

_How stupid can I get! All that time… all that time… when I was a little kid, I thought that if I could just be like winter… then everything would melt away… evaporate… disappear and never come back. But I was just some dumb kid. Snow melts to water which goes back into the sky… and then it comes down as snow again… so even if everything **could**_ _melt away… it would all just come back anyway… … … … … … … … … I'm so weak…_

Sayora tightened her fists.

_I'm stronger than Akito! I could've just knocked him into the ground and sent him to the hospital in a match box! I have so much more strength than him, but what's the goddamn point! It's the same every time! I freeze up completely! I want control of my life! With these two hands… I want to take my life from him and hold it tightly with these two hands! I don't want to be controlled by some freak anymore… but I'm just too weak… I guess that… just like winter… just like the snow that I love… everything that's important to me becomes meaningless… even my very existence… _

"Sayora-san?" came a voice from behind her.

"Tohru-san!" Sayora said a bit surprised as she turned around. "What're you doing out here?"

"They got so worried that they dragged me all the way out here," Kyo complained.

"Shut up!" Yuki ordered.

"You shut up dammit!"

Sayora looked behind Tohru and noticed that Kyo as well as everyone else was there, even Shigure.

"Huh? Sorry, I didn't realize I was out as long as I was," Sayora apologized.

"When Aki-!"

"Uh! What were you doing out here so long?" Shigure asked, immediately cutting Tohru off.

"Nothing much," she replied.

_Ah… she doesn't want us to worry about her…_

"Kisa-chanHiro-kun, they dragged you two out here too?" Sayora asked with a smile.

"We wanted to come," Kisa said. "Hiro-chan and I were worried too, so we asked to come."

"Hm? Hiro-kun? You were worried about me too? How very sweet and grade school like of you," she teased.

"Aren't you cold?" Haru asked.

"No."

"Awww, then Haru made me carry this extra scarf for nothing," Momiji whined in a cheerful way.

"Really? Haru-kun made you? In that case, I guess I'll take it," Sayora said as Momiji happily handed her the scarf. "Sorry to worry you guys."

"Don't worry about it," Yuki assured. "It's fine. You worry about us all the time Sayora-san."

"Shigure-san?" Tohru asked. "Shigure-san, are you okay?"

"I'm just a bit cold," he replied.

"Then let's all go inside," Yuki suggested as everyone agreed.

Everyone started to walk out of the woods. When they were almost out, Shigure happened to sneeze. He bumped into a tree, causing all of the snow on that _huge_ tree to collapse on everyone. Nine different heads popped out of the snow. Their bodies popped out a few seconds afterwards.

"Are you _trying _to bury us alive dammit?" Kyo shouted.

"It was an accident, an accident," Shigure replied.

"Let's just… get back to the house," Sayora said, not sounding much like her usual self.

"Sure," Yuki answered as he walked up to her and headed towards the house along with everyone else.

_I'll try my best to act like everything's okay so that they don't have to worry. Even if everything else loses its meaning, I won't let them go… never…_

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 8- Cat Fight

Sayora is acting strange and Kyo has no idea why. When he tries to find out, Sayora snaps and goes wild, and when she loses control, she gets a _lot_ worse than Hatsuharu's black mode. With people being chucked through doors and punched through ceilings as if they were paper, who can stop Sayora… or at least calm her down?


	8. Cat Fight

**dna**- i know... u dont want another excuse... all i have to say is... a lot happened... newayz, i know this chapter isn't humorous, but dont worry, i plan to keep this story funny. sum chapters just may be more serious, thats all. well, enjoy. and im sorry this took so long!

**Hopeless Chapter 8- Cat Fight**

They were all still at one of the Souma houses, and as usual, Kyo and Yuki were fighting.

"You wanna fight you damn rat!" Kyo shouted.

Yuki got in a fighting stance.

"Finally! Just watch! I'm gonna pound your face into the floor so bad that you won't look like a girl anymore!"

Yuki aimed a kick at Kyo.

"You're going to regret saying that you stupid cat!" Yuki shouted.

"Can you _both_ just shut up!" Sayora asked angrily as she slammed her hands on the little table.

Kyo and Yuki immediately froze and looked at Sayora. Shigure looked up from the newspaper. Tohru and Kisa became worried. Haru merely turned his head to look at her. Momiji and Hiro looked at her a bit confused.

"Ah…" It was if she just realized what she did. Sayora went back to staring at the television.

"What the hell's wrong with _you_ today?" Kyo asked.

"Nothing!" she replied, trying not to shout.

"Sayora-san, are you okay?" Tohru asked in concern.

"I'm fine!"

"What the hell crawled up _your_ ass!" Kyo asked, getting annoyed.

"Uh, Kyo-kun…" Shigure tried to warn, but Kyo paid no attention.

"Are you p-!"

A fist flew into Kyo's face and sent him onto the ground.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru got up from her seat.

"Sayora-san!" Yuki was alarmed and worried at the same time. He had never seen Sayora this angry before.

"Keep your mouth shut! You sound smarter that way!" Sayora shouted.

She sat down and continued to stare at the television. Yuki looked back at Kyo who was completely knocked out.

_Sayora-san… she must be upset about Akito-san_, Tohru thought.

Shigure went back to reading his newspaper. Kyo got up and went over to Sayora again.

"You wanna pick a fight or something!" Kyo shouted at her. "Is that what you want! C'mon, I'm gonna beat you up so bad—huh?"

Sayora ignored him and walked out the door and into the backyard. Everyone followed her with his eyes as did Shigure who looked up from his newspaper again.

"Hey!" Kyo called after her as he was about to go after her. He, however, tripped over one of the cushions on the ground and fell on Tohru.

_Poof!_

Yuki inwardly sighed. _Stupid cat…_ he thought. _But I wonder… what in the world happened between her and Akito…_

-----Sayora-----

"Um… Sayora-san… it's still snowing outside," Tohru said handing her a coat. "You'll get sick if you don't stay warm."

"I'll be fine," she replied.

Tohru withdrew her outstretched hand and stood beside Sayora.

"Are you okay Sayora-san?" she asked quietly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just…go back inside…" she said, suppressing her anger. "There's nothing you can do."

The two heard the sliding door open again. Tohru turned around to see Kisa coming towards them. She went over to Sayora and grabbed her shirt.

"Sayora nee-san…a-are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Would everyone stop asking me that and just leave me alone!" she shouted as she shook Kisa off, accidentally making her fall on the ground. Sayora immediately turned, wondering if she had hurt Kisa or not.

"Kisa-san!" Tohru cried and went over to check on her.

The sliding door opened again and Hiro dashed followed by everyone else except for Shigure who stood by the door.

"Kisa!" Hiro called in concern. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Kisa shook her head and looked up at Sayora a bit worriedly. Hiro stood up.

"Hey! Don't take out your anger on Kisa!" he shouted. "You could've hurt her!"

"I didn't do it on purpose dammit!" she shouted back as she grabbed Hiro by the collar of his shirt, surprising everyone.

"S-Sayora nee-san! Don't do anything to him!" Kisa cried worriedly. "Hiro-chan!"

"Hiro-san! Sayora-san, please, put him down!" Tohru told her.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing you damn wolf!" Kyo asked as he and Yuki ran over to them.

Yuki arm locked Sayora from behind, making her drop Hiro. Kyo helped to hold Sayora back as did Hatsuharu.

"Hiro-chan!" Kisa yelled as she ran to him. "Are you alright?"

"Get back inside!" Kyo shouted. "All of you!"

Kisa helped Hiro up and they both went back inside. Momiji was on his way in, but noticed that Tohru was still just standing there.

"Tohru! Let's go back inside," Momiji called.

"But…"

"Honda-san! It's dangerous out here! Please go inside!" Yuki said. "We'll handle things out here! We'll be fine!"

"Momiji! Get her inside!" Haru ordered.

Momiji went back to get Tohru and dragged her back inside the house, Shigure closing the door after them. Everyone crowded around the door, watching what was about to happen outside.

Sayora broke free from the three guys.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Kyo asked.

Sayora punched Kyo face first into the transparent window. He slid down to the ground.

"Ewwwwww!" Momiji cried. "Kyo's slobber is all over the window!"

"Shut up!" Kyo shouted.

He was getting on his feet when Haru landed on top of him.

"Kyo, you're comfortable," he said.

"Get the hell off of me!" he shouted again.

"She's tough," Haru said.

"Yeah right! How tough can a tomboy be?"

As soon as Kyo finished saying that, he watched Yuki with a sweat drop. Yuki flew head first into the house.

Haru went to check on Yuki.

"Well, since she isn't really tough, I'm sure you can handle her for a minute without our help," Haru replied.

"H-hey!"

Sayora threw a punch at Kyo who managed to dodge it even though he was off guard. She threw another punched at his stomach that he blocked with his hand. However, he was unable to block the unexpected kick that sent him over and crashing through the roof.

Everyone turned around to look at the orange haired boy that just fell into the room.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru cried, about to run over to him.

She stopped however, when she saw Haru crash through the wall and into the living room followed almost immediately by Yuki. The others turned to look at Sayora who was already gone.

-----A Few Moments Later-----

"That damn wolf! I swear I'm gonna kill her! What the hell's got her so pissed off anyway!" Kyo muttered angrily.

"Well…" Tohru hesitated, not sure whether she should tell Kyo or not.

"Get over it Kyo-kun," Shigure said, not looking up from his newspaper. "You know how Sayora-chan can be. She sometimes gets mood swings like that."

"Mood swings? You call _that _a mood swing!" Kyo asked. "Since when did _she_ get mood swings anyway!"

"Shut up and stop talking like you know everything about her!" Yuki shouted, annoyed with him. "You never pay attention to her anyway! Out of all of us here, you know the least about her!"

"We _all_ don't know much about her," Shigure replied.

Kyo settled down a bit. He looked out the window moodily. Everyone was silent. There was no noise at all whatsoever and it was uncomfortable for everybody.

Tohru glanced around at everybody. Yuki stood leaning against the wall while Kyo looked out the window. Shigure was staring at his newspaper. Kisa looked sad and worried while Hiro looked worriedly at Kisa. Momiji was playing with his shoelace with a solemn face and Hatsuharu was staring at the wall.

After a while, the front door opened and in walked Sayora. Kyo jumped to his feet as she walked into the living room. All eyes were on her as she walked to Kyo.

"Y-you wanna fight or something!" he asked.

Sayora glared at Kyo, making him and everyone else nervous.

"C'mon!" Kyo shouted. "You think I'm scared of _you_!"

"Move!" Sayora ordered dangerously in a low voice, her glare even harder than it already was.

Before they knew it, Kyo was already by Yuki with his fists still up. Everyone sweat dropped at Kyo as Sayora sat down and turned the television on.

"Stupid cat…" Yuki muttered.

"Shut up!" Kyo shouted. "Who the hell are ya callin stupid!"

"Is there anyone else here who's stupid?" he asked.

Before Kyo could open his mouth to shout, the TV remote flew into his head.

"What the hell was that for!" Kyo exploded as he chucked the remote back.

Sayora ducked and let the remote fly past her, letting it slam into Shigure's head instead. Shigure fell backwards, almost completely knocked out. Kyo walked over to Sayora and lifted her up to her feet by the collar of her shirt.

"What the hell is your problem!" he shouted in her face.

"Don't mess with me," she warned in the same dangerous tone, somewhat shocking Kyo a bit.

He roughly let her go and stomped outside, climbing onto the roof.

-----Thirty Minutes Later-----

Kyo was still on the roof.

_That damn wolf!_ he thought. _One day she's her usual idiotic self and the next she has issues! And why the hell is she taking it out on **me** anyway! What the hell did **I** do to **her**?_ Kyo sweat dropped at his own thought. _Okay, bad question… but still! I swear I'm gonna pound her face into the floor!_

A noise coming from the ladder pulled him from his thoughts. It was Tohru.

"Are you alright Kyo-kun?" she asked.

Kyo didn't answer.

"Are you still mad at Sayora-san?"

"Of course I am!" Kyo replied angrily. "All of a sudden she wakes up with an attitude problem! And why am _I_ the only one who she takes her anger out on!"

"No! It's not like that!" Tohru defended.

"Huh?" Kyo asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well… you see… yesterday, when you were on the roof, Shigure-san told us that Akito-san went to see Sayora-san," she said.

_What?_ Kyo thought. _Why didn't anyone tell me before? _

"_Shut up and stop talking like you know everything about her! You never pay attention to her anyway! Out of all of us here, you know the least about her!"_

Kyo was trembling from anger. As much as he hated to admit, Yuki was right. He never really paid all that much attention to her. To him, she was just… there.

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru called quietly, wondering if he was okay.

Suddenly, they both heard the front door fly open. Haru was on the ground.

"Ah! Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru cried.

Sayora ran outside and down the path followed by Yuki and Haru after he got back to his feet. Tohru turned around to find that Kyo was about to jump down from the roof .

"Ah! Kyo-kun!" Tohru called.

Kyo turned around in response.

_There's nothing I can do to help…_ she thought. "Please come back safely with Sayora-san. I'll be waiting here."

"Yeah… I know," he replied with a small smile.

Kyo jumped off the roof and ran after Yuki, Haru, and Sayora.

-----Few Minutes Later-----

"Where is she!" Kazuma asked, abruptly stopping at the entrance to the Souma house seeing as how there was no door thanks to Sayora who had kicked Haru into it. Haru had called Kazuma before he got kicked out of the house.

"Oh, Kazuma-kun," Shigure replied. "They ran straight down that path."

"_They_?" he asked.

"Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, and Haa-kun went after her," Shigure clarified.

"Shii-chan," Momiji called.

"What is it?"

"I haven't seen Tohru anywhere…"

"Tohru-kun?" he asked. "You're right Momiji-kun. You don't think she went after…"

"What a stupid woman!" Hiro muttered.

"Onee-chan…" Kisa said, about to cry.

"Kazuma-ku—huh?"

He was already halfway down the path.

-----Five Minutes Later-Tohru-----

Tohru had lost track of them. She stopped to catch her breath.

_I'm worried…_ Tohru thought. _I want to help them somehow!_

Suddenly to her right, Tohru heard a thump and ran towards the sound. She stopped at the end of the path and stared at what was happening. She was too shocked to move. Tohru had thought that they ran after her to help her, but… what she was seeing was completely unexpected to her.

Kyo was knocked to the ground. Hatsuharu was struggling back to his feet. Sayora threw a punch at Yuki's head as he moved his head to the left to dodge. She threw another punch right afterwards as Yuki moved his head to the right, letting her fist fly by him. However, she swiftly did a spin kick, hitting Yuki hard on the side and sending him into a tree. Even though the blow was hard, he still managed to stay on his feet.

Tohru gasped.

_Yuki-kun! Kyo-kun! Hatsuharu-san!_

Kyo and Haru were back on their feet and ready to attack again as was Yuki.

"No…" Tohru said weakly.

Sayora ran at Kyo.

"STOP IT!" Tohru screamed.

Kyo, Yuki, and Haru all turned in shock to see Tohru who was terrified.

"H-Honda-san!" Yuki said surprised.

"Damn…" Haru cursed.

"Tohru!" Kyo said as surprised as Yuki.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru screamed. "Nooooo!"

Kyo turned his attention back on Sayora as did the others and noticed that Sayora's foot was only inches away from running into his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the blow.

"Kyo!" Haru shouted worriedly. "Ah!"

"Ah!" Yuki said, once again surprised.

"Sh-Shishou-san!" Tohru exclaimed as Kyo opened his eyes.

Kazuma caught Sayora's foot and kicked her other foot from under her, causing her to fall on her back. She however, got back on her feet immediately and aimed a punch at him.

"Sayora!" Kazuma called, dodging her punch.

Sayora threw another punch at him. Kazuma grabbed her arm, pulled her forward, and ran his other fist into her stomach. Sayora let out a small cry.

"Sayora! Stop it!" Kazuma told her. "That's enough!"

Kazuma caught her punch that she quickly threw and hit her on the back of her neck, knocking her out. She slumped in his arms. Kazuma sighed.

"Are you all okay?" he asked Yuki, Kyo, and Haru with a small smile.

They all nodded in response.

"Sayora-san… is she going to be okay?" Tohru asked concerned.

"She'll be fine," Kazuma answered. "She's just knocked out right now. She'll come to after a while."

-----Evening-----

Sayora's eyes slowly opened. After a while of replaying what happened, she tried to sit up, wincing slightly. Her stomach still hurt from when Kazuma punched her.

"Oh, you're up," Kazuma said gently, surprising Sayora a bit seeing as how she didn't know he was there. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" she replied. "Where're the others?"

"They're eating dinner downstairs," he answered.

"Are they okay?"

"Other than a few bruises, they're fine."

It went silent for a couple minutes.

"Did you see _him_?" Kazuma wondered curiously.

"Yeah…"

"Sayora, what happened?"

"I dunno… I just sorta… snapped I guess."

Kazuma didn't respond.

"Why Shishou?" Sayora asked. "He says he doesn't consider me as a Jyuunishi, so why can't he just leave me alone? Why does he want to control me?"

"Knowing you, you would be involved with the Jyuunishi affairs even if you weren't one yourself."

"Maybe…"

"Hey, let's go eat," Kazuma said, changing the subject. "I'm hungry."

Sayora got out of bed and followed Kazuma downstairs. They could already hear Kyo and Yuki arguing with each other as usual. However, they both immediately went silent when they saw Sayora in the dinning room.

"What?" Sayora asked confused.

"You still wanna fight!" Kyo asked as he threw his chopsticks at her.

"What the hell was that for you damn cat!" Sayora shouted at him.

"Oh…" Kyo replied with a surprised look. "You're normal…"

"What'd you think I was! Demented!"

"Actually, that word suits you _very_ well Sayora-chan," Shigure teased as Sayora's shoe flew into his head and bounced off and landed in Kyo's bowl of rice.

"That's my rice god dammit!"

"I _told_ you his head is rubbery and hollow!"

"Hey hey… don't be so mean…" Shigure whined, already back to normal.

"Oh yeah!" Kyo asked as he held his shoe in his hand. "So if I throw _my_ shoe at his head, then it's gonna bounce off and land in someone else's food!"

Kyo chucked his shoe at Shigure's head. Everyone watched it as it flew into his head and fell into Yuki's bowl of rice who was three seats away from him. Kyo blinked.

"Holy crap… his head really _is_ rubbery…" he said amazed.

Yuki's chopsticks snapped.

"Kyo…"

And so, another fight broke out between Yuki and Kyo…

-----Few Hours Later-----

"Well, I'm going to head back now," Kazuma said.

"Already?" Shigure asked.

"Yes," he answered, then turned to Yuki, Kyo, Haru, and Sayora. "You all take care now."

The four nodded in response. Everyone went back inside except for Sayora who ran after Kazuma.

"Shishou!" she called.

Kazuma turned around as Sayora stopped in front of him. It was quiet for a few seconds.

"I think I finally understand now… what you were talking about."

_-----10 Years Ago-----_

"_Shishou?" Sayora called._

"_What is it?"_

"_What's a… home?" she asked._

"_A home is somewhere you belong…"_

"_Somewhere you belong? I don't get it." _

"I think I found it," she said.

"I think it was in front of you all that time," he replied. "I think that it was just out of your reach… hidden from view."

"Then thanks for leading me there," Sayora said.

"I only showed you the way Sayora," Kazuma said as he turned around and went on his way again. "You reached it on your own."

"Hey!" she heard Kyo shout. "That's mine you damn rat!"

"Hmph…" Sayora started to walk back to join the others.

"_A home is somewhere you belong…"_

-----Next Chapter Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 9- Stalker

Everyone returns from winter vacation and goes back to school. Sounds normal enough, but a new student has joined their class, and he won't leave Sayora alone. He's determined to get her to go out with him! Wherever Sayora goes, he goes, but if he follows her too closely, then he may find out something that he shouldn't know…


	9. Stalker

**Hopeless Chapter 9- Stalker**

Everyone was back at home. Winter vacation had ended and school was back again. Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru were all waiting for Sayora who came down the stairs complaining about the school uniform again.

"I mean… it's WINTER for crying out loud!" she whined as she walked out the door with the others.

"We're leaving Shigure-san!" Tohru told him.

"Alright," Shigure replied. "I'll see you guys after school."

"They should let us wear sweat pants or something instead!" Sayora continued to complain.

"Why the hell are _you_ of all people complaining about being cold?" Kyo asked. "I mean, you go outside in the snow with a tee and light, loose pants or shorts year round."

"Are you _trying _to be stupid, or do you just enjoy ticking me off!" Sayora shouted.

"What the hell!" Kyo shouted back.

Yuki sighed putting a hand to his head as all four of them approached the school, Kyo and Sayora shouting at the top of their lungs.

-----In Class-----

Kyo and Sayora had somehow miraculously managed to stop arguing by the time they got in class. Uo and Hana approached Tohru and the others.

"Hey," Uo greeted casually, noticing Sayora.

"Hi!" Tohru greeted back.

"So who's the new girl?" Uo asked curiously.

"Oh! That's right! I never introduced you guys!" Tohru exclaimed. "Sayora-san, these two are my best friends Arisa Uotani-chan and Saki Hanajima-chan."

"Hey, the name's Souma Sayora," she introduced herself with a small bow.

"Huh? Another one?" Uo asked. "So that would make carrot-top your relative then, eh? Man do _I_ feel sorry for _you_."

"I thought so…" Hana said in her same quiet, somewhat eerie voice. "You have the same waves as those two…"

"Alright! Class is starting!" Mayumi yelled before Sayora could respond and before Kyo could shout at Uo. "We've got a new student today."

The class turned their attention to tall boy with brown hair and black eyes who was standing next to the teacher. There were whispers in the class from the girls (and girls ONLY I hope...) ranging from "Hey, he's kinda cute," to "No way! My heart belongs to Yuki-kun!" and possibly… only _possibly_… even further than that. All the whispering was hushed when the teacher tapped her ruler loudly against the chalkboard.

"Quiet down and let the guy introduce himself!" she ordered, silencing the class immediately. The transfer looked nervously at his new teacher and went on introducing himself to his classmates.

"I'm Mobaro Sawaki," he said bowing. "I'll be joining your class today."

"Alright, now take your seat," Mayumi said.

Sawaki stared at Sayora as he was walking to his desk exactly two rows behind her.

_What the hell?_ Sayora wondered but ignored it later on.

-----Later-----

Sayora, Yuki, Kyo, Uo, Hana, and Tohru were all going to gym.

"Hey!" they all heard someone call.

Everyone turned around to see Sawaki running towards them. He stopped in front of Sayora.

"Hey!" he greeted her happily.

"Yo, what's up?" Sayora asked.

"Uh… let me get that bag for you!" he offered as he reached for it, tripping over his own feet and falling toward Sayora.

She quickly side-stepped, letting Sawaki fall on Kyo instead.

"No thanks," Sayora declined as she continued on her way to gym. "I can manage."

"Oh, Kyo-kun, are you alright?" Tohru asked.

"Forget about carrot-top and let's go," Uo said, dragging Tohru along.

"Why the hell did you move you dumb wolf!" Kyo shouted as he got up and caught up with Sayora.

"Would you rather have him fall on _me_, a _female_ Jyuunishi instead?" she asked him in a whisper so that Uo and Hana wouldn't hear.

-----Few Minutes Later-----

Tohru, Sayora, Uo, and Hana went into the girl's locker room while Yuki and Kyo went into the boy's. They had to get changed into their gym uniforms.

"God! I hate it when they spray all that stuff!" Sayora complained. "They're gonna get all dirty and smelly after they're done with class anyway so what's the damn point!"

"You mean body spray?" Uo asked as she slipped her shirt on.

"Does it matter what it's called?" she questioned as she took off her shirt.

"So, I heard that we were supposed to be running three laps around the school track tod—"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" nearly all the girls in the locker room screeched, completely blasting out Sayora's ears with their high pitched screams. "PERVERT!"

She turned around to see a familiar face.

"What the hell are you doing in here!" she shouted angrily, her face flushed red as she covered herself with her gym shirt, seeing as how she didn't get the chance to put it on.

"Th-this isn't the boy's locker room!" Sawaki asked, his face flushed red as well.

"Other side you goddamn idiot!" she shouted.

"R-right!" he replied as he rushed out the door.

"Pervert!" one of the girls shouted after him.

"He did it on purpose!" another girl shouted angrily.

"To think there're still people like him these days!"

"That freak!" Sayora muttered between her teeth.

"Oh, that's right," Uo remembered. "He saw you without your shirt… too bad, ain't it?" she teased. "Doesn't matter much to _me_ cause I was dressed."

-----On the Track-----

Tohru, Sayora, Uo, and Hana met up with Yuki and Kyo on the track.

"Just watch me outrun both of you!" Kyo began.

"Stupid cat…" Yuki muttered as he noticed that Sayora seemed flustered. "Sayora-san, is something wrong? You look upset."

"Nothing!" she said through her teeth.

"That Sawaki dude saw her without her top," Uo said casually as Sayora instantly appeared in front of her furiously.

"WHAT!" Kyo shouted in shock as he tripped over a tree root and fell face first into a nearby tree.

"H-how!" Yuki asked, ignoring Kyo completely.

"The damn idiot thought it was the guy's locker room!" Sayora shouted.

"Sayora-san!" someone called, making Sayora flinch.

She turned around to see Sawaki running towards them.

"I'm sorry about before and all," he apologized. "I honestly didn't do that on purpose, really."

"Whatever…" Sayora muttered as she and everyone else, including Kyo, gathered with the rest of their class.

"Wait! Sayora-san!" Sawaki called as he lined up next to her. "I was just wondering if you had any free time after—"

"I'm busy today," she cut him off.

"Then how about tomor—huh?"

"Begin!" the teacher announced as Sayora immediately took off.

"Sayora-san!"

-----Later-----

Sayora held onto the tree trunk next to her to support her, keeping her from falling over. She was completely out of breath while Sawaki was standing next to her, not even breathing any harder than he was when they started running.

"Those two are completely inhuman!" one of the guys said.

"They sprinted _seven_ laps when they were only required to do _three_!" another guy said.

_He won't stop following me!_ Sayora thought as she tried to catch her breath. _And how the hell did he manage to keep up!_

"Wow, you're pretty good," Sawaki complimented with a smile. "I was the champion in All Star Middle and High School Track since middle school and half of the guys couldn't even sprint five laps! Maybe I should join _this_ school's track team. What do you think Sayora-san?"

"You're… completely… insane!" she said between breaths.

"Yeah," he laughed. "I get that a lot."

_The idiot doesn't get it!_

-----Later-----

Sayora was walking back to class with the others… with Sawaki following them.

"Sayora-san, so… are you free tomorrow?" Sawaki suddenly asked.

"Why?" she asked.

"Well… I was just thinking… maybe you'd like to go see a movie with me," he replied shyly. "Or maybe… you know… grab a bite to eat or something."

"Like a date," Sayora stated.

"Exactly!" Sawaki responded happily, assuming that she had agreed.

"Not in a million years, crap face," she said, not caring what his reaction was as she continued to her class with the others.

"Well, I have a student council meeting I have to get to," Yuki said as he headed down another hall. "I'll see you guys at home."

"Bye Yuki-kun!" Tohru said.

-----End of School-----

"Man today was tiring…" Sayora said as she stretched.

"Hey, Sayora-san," called a familiar voice.

"Stop bothering me!" she replied, getting annoyed. "I told you that I'm busy!"

"I know," Sawaki replied with a smile. "I was just wondering if I could perhaps… walk you home?"

"There are already two people walking home with me," Sayora said as she swung on her backpack. "I don't need another escort."

"Sayora-san!" Tohru called. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, in a sec!" she answered. "Uo-san, Hana-san, later!"

"Yeah, later!" Uo replied. "And stop being so polite with me!"

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Hurry up dammit!" Kyo shouted impatiently.

"Alright! Geez!" Sayora shouted back as she walked over to Tohru and Kyo.

"Wait…" Hana said as the three and Uo turned to face her. "A wolf…"

Sayora, Kyo, and Tohru froze, sweating nervously.

"Sayora-san… are you somehow connected to wolves?" she asked in the same quite tone.

"U-uh… w-w-w-well… uhhh… wolves uh… wolves are uh… my favorite… animals…?" she ended questionably.

"I see… interesting…" Hana replied.

"If they're your favorite animals, then just spit it out next time," Uo said.

"I was embarrassed, okay?" Sayora made up.

_Wolves eh?_ Sawaki thought as he walked through the classroom door. "See you Sayora-san!" he yelled to her.

_Oh get lost! Damn idiot!_

-----Later-----

"So this is where she lives…" Sawaki said to himself. He had followed Sayora and the others home. "She lives in such a remote place. What a mysterious girl. It makes me even _more_ interested in her."

"I was watching that you damn cat!" he heard Sayora shout from inside the house.

_My my, she has quite the mouth on her…_

"It's not _your_ TV dammit!" Kyo shouted back.

"I don't see _your_ name written on it anywhere!"

"You wanna take this outside!"

Sawaki saw the two stomp out of the house and into the yard, both of them fuming. Sayora picked up a rock and chucked it at Kyo. Kyo moved his head to the side as the rock flew past him.

_No! NO!_

The rock collided with Sawaki's head who happened to be hiding somewhere behind Kyo.

_Ow…_ he thought as he rubbed his head. _She's got quite the arm…_ _I'd better move…_

He crawled behind the bushes to hide behind Sayora. When he looked up, his eyes nearly popped out.

_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

A mini boulder, about four feet in diameter, landed right on top of Sawaki.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Sayora shouted at Kyo. "Have you _completely _gone nuts! You could've killed me with that!"

-----Thirty Minutes Later-----

_She said she was busy today…_ Sawaki thought as he watched her help Tohru hang up the laundry.

"You don't have to help, Sayora-san," Tohru said. "I can do this by myself."

"Don't worry about it," she replied as she hung up another blanket. "This is a million times better than being with that damn cat. Besides, I'm not like _them_… making you do all the work while they sit on their fat butts all day long."

"Oh, no!" she quickly said. "I don't mind doing this! Really! It's fun and—huh?"

Sayora was laughing.

"I know, I know," Sayora said. "I was just kidding."

"Oh…"

"Dummy!"

_Hm… she has a nice attitude…_ Sawaki thought. _Not to mention a nice personality… sometimes…_

-----Hour Later-----

"I'm home!" Yuki announced as he walked in the door.

_Just how many different people live in this house?_ Sawaki wondered.

"Oh, hi Yuki-kun!" Shigure greeted.

"Hey… it's quiet…" Yuki said.

"I know! It's a miracle beyond miracles! Sayora-chan and Kyo-kun aren't arguing!" he exclaimed.

Yuki looked at him lamely and walked into the living room, putting his backpack on the floor.

"Oh no!" Tohru cried from the kitchen as Yuki and the others walked over to see what was wrong.

"Honda-san, what is it?" Yuki asked.

"I forgot to buy groceries for dinner!" she panicked.

"What!" Kyo shouted.

"It can't be helped," Shigure replied calmly. "I guess we'll just have to order take-out today."

"Where?" Sayora asked.

"The restaurant down the street and around the corner," he answered.

"Is _closed_," she finished.

"Then how about the okinomiyaki place?"

"It's temporarily closed for renovations though," Yuki replied.

"Then the only place left is… the one past the school…" Sayora said.

"To hell I'm walking that far!" Kyo objected.

"You have to, or else we can't get food," Shigure responded.

"Then _you_ go!"

"But you wouldn't make a poor old man like _me_ walk alone _that_ far, would you?" he exaggerated. "Yuki-kun, why don't _you_ go in my place?"

"What? But I—"

"Oh quit whining already!" Sayora said annoyed. "I'll go with Tohru-san, simple as that."

"But it's dangerous for two girls to be walking at this time of night," Yuki protested.

"Hey, have you forgotten? I can fight you know?"

"Yeah," Kyo agreed. "And besides, what do you mean _two_ girls? As far as I can tell, there's only one _I_ can see!"

Yuki held Sayora back from jumping at Kyo.

"But Yuki-kun _is_ right Sayora-chan," Shigure said. "No matter what, you're still a girl. Even if you _can_ fight, what would happen if a guy fought you and caused you to accidentally transform? Not only would our secret be out, but there would be no one to protect Tohru-kun from harm."

Sayora was getting irritated.

"Shut up already!" she shouted. "I'm not that stupid, okay! Tohru-san, let's go!"

"Uh… o-okay…" Tohru responded a bit nervously as she quickly followed Sayora out the door. "We'll be right back everyone!"

-----Next Day At School-----

"I saw this preview for a really interesting movie yesterday, and I was just wondering if you'd come to see it with me," Sawaki said to Sayora.

"What don't you understand about 'no'!" she asked irritated.

"Are you shy Sayora-san?"

"No, I'm not! I'm angry and irritated and annoyed!"

"Really? By who? I'll go take care of th—"

"You!"

Sawaki went quiet, then burst out laughing.

"That's a good one! You're really funny!"

Sayora banged her head on her desk.

_Help me! Anybody!_

-----Lunch-----

"Crap, I forgot to bring money for lunch…" Sayora said.

"You did?"

She twitched at the voice.

_Sawaki!_

"We can share _my_ lunch Sayora-san!" Sawaki replied with a smile.

"No!" she snapped as she walked back to the classroom with him following her.

-----Free Period-----

"You like to fight, right Sayora-san?" Sawaki asked. "Well guess what, I'm pretty good at martial arts too! I was a black belt since seven years ago! And I was the champion in the national competition for six years straight!"

_Fight **me** and you'll know what it means to get beat up!_

-----Third Day At School—During Class-----

Sayora felt something hit her head from behind. She turned around to see Sawaki smiling at her.

_What **now**!_

Sayora picked up the tiny crumpled piece of paper that fell by her feet and read the note that he had written to her.

_Are you busy today?_ she read silently, a vein popping out of her head.

-----Free Period-----

"Sayora-san, I have a present for you!" Sawaki announced happily. "You'll love it!"

"I doubt it…" she muttered.

"It's a wolf!" he exclaimed with a huge smile, handing her a stuffed animal.

Sayora stared at him and at the doll in his hand lamely.

"Go to hell!" she shouted as she stomped down the hall moodily.

"But I thought wolves were your favorite animals!" Sawaki yelled, chasing after her.

-----Fourth Day of School—Free Period-----

"Sayora-san?" Sawaki called as he walked over by her desk. "I want to ask you something…"

"What!" Sayora asked aggravated.

"Why are you refusing to go out with me? I'm a pretty descent guy you know?"

"Decent my ass…"

"It's just one date! C'mon! You'll love it!"

Sayora grabbed Kyo's wrist and dragged him over next to her.

"Hey! What the he—"

"Look! I have a boyfriend, okay!" she shouted at Sawaki

Sawaki was stunned. Kyo was completely confused. The class went silent.

"I can't go out with you!"

Sawaki looked at a confused Kyo who was staring at Sayora in shock.

-----On the Way Home-----

Hatsuharu and Momiji had met up with Sayora and the others and were about to go back to the Main House, which was on the way to Shigure's house.

"Sayo! Sayo! I heard that you confessed your true feelings for Kyo! Is that true!" Momiji asked excitedly.

"I didn't confess _anything_!" she shouted. "I just needed an excuse for that dumbass to stay away from me!"

"Then why didn't you grab Yuki instead?" Haru asked.

Sayora paused for half a second.

"Because this dumb cat was closer to me than Yuki-kun!"

"Oh really…?" Kyo asked, not sounding as rebellious as he had wanted to.

"But I was really surprised though," Tohru said. "What you said was so sudden. And it was in front of the whole class too."

Sayora and Kyo paled.

_Shit!_ they both thought.

_I didn't think about that!_ Sayora thought, scolding herself.

_Stupid wolf never uses her brain!_ Kyo thought angrily.

Yuki sighed, seeing the looks on their faces.

_How in the world am I related to those idiots…?_

-----Fifth Day of School—Free Period-----

"Sayora-san…" came an all too familiar voice from behind her as she was walking down the hall.

Sayora turned around, ready to yell at him, but instead, she was surprised at the serious look on his face and decided to keep her mouth shut.

"You lied to me," he said loudly and sternly.

The noisy hallway went quiet as the students turned to see what was going on.

"What?" Sayora asked, already losing her patients with him.

"Kyo-kun can't your boyfriend," Sawaki continued, remaining calm. "I know that for a fact."

"You think you can just decide that!" she asked, getting angry.

"You claim that he's your boyfriend, but why doesn't he say that himself?"

Sayora growled in irritation as she threw a punch that he unexpectedly caught.

"I'm out of patients, Sayora-san," Sawaki replied as he pushed her to the wall. "You're mine."

"Oh really!" she asked as she threw another punch that he also easily caught.

Sayora tried to free her hands from his grip but found that she couldn't.

_Impossible!_ she thought.

"Sayora-san!" Tohru cried. _No! She can't transform here! Sayora-san!_

_Dammit! I can't do anything!_

"_Well guess what, I'm pretty good at martial arts too! I was a black belt since seven years ago! And I was the champion in the national competition for six years straight!" _

_Shit… he wasn't kidding about that… _

"_No matter what, you're still a girl. Even if you can fight, what would happen if a guy fought you and caused you to accidentally transform?"_

_It's no good… they were right! I'm still a girl… so I'm powerless if I get trapped like this! _

Sawaki leaned in closer. Yuki had just turned in the hallway to see that Sayora was trapped in the corner, Sawaki only an inch away from her.

"Sayora-san!" Yuki shouted as he stared in shock, knowing that he wouldn't make it in time to help even if he tried.

"Sayora-san!" Tohru cried.

_NO!_ she panicked as she squeezed her eyes shut.

SLAM!

"Ah…" Yuki was still in shock.

Tohru just simply stared with her mouth still opened. The hallway was even more silent, if it were even possible.

"Huh…?"

She slowly opened her eyes.

_Kyo-kun!_

He had slammed his hand against the wall beside her, his arm cutting Sawaki off from Sayora. Sawaki looked at him sternly yet questionably.

"Just who's girl do you think you're touching!" Kyo asked dangerously, glaring at Sawaki.

_K-Kyo-kun…_ she thought, blushing slightly.

"Don't try to move in on her, cuz she's taken!" he ordered. "Go find someone who's actually desperate enough to be with you, you bastard!"

Kyo grabbed Sayora's wrist and dragged her down the mute hallway with everyone staring at them in shock, especially Yuki, Tohru, Uo, and Hana.

"K-Kyo-kun! Wait!" Sayora said when they both were out of the school.

"What!" Kyo asked annoyed. "Ah…"

He looked away from Sayora when he saw the look on her face, trying to keep his cool.

"L-look, I only said that cuz you were that close to being transformed!" he stammered. "D-don't think it was because I really meant it!"

"Ah! N-no! I wasn't concerned about that!" she shouted when she noticed the look on Kyo's face. "You just sort of announced something idiotic and stupid, and _obviously **untrue**_ in front of half the damn school!"

A sweat drop appeared on Kyo's head, noticing that, as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Everyone in that hallway and in the classrooms nearby all heard what he said.

"Nooooo!" Kyo shouted, going berserk. He didn't dare think of what kinds of trouble his speech would bring to him.

"Idiot! Think before you speak!" she shouted. "Use that pea sized brain of yours for once in your friggin life!"

"Who're you to talk you damn wolf! You were the one who started all of this!"

"What! Hell no! Don't blame this crap on me! It was that dickhead Sawaki!"

"Well as far as _I_ can see, you're the one responsible for this whole mess!"

"Well then, you must be B-L-I-N-D-!-!"

"Say that to my face!" Kyo shouted.

"You're blind!" she repeated.

The two stared at each other stubbornly. Sayora sighed.

"This is retarded…" she said, calming down. After all, Kyo _did_ help her out of a tight spot. "Let's go home…"

Kyo too, sighed.

"Whatever…" he muttered as the two of them started towards Shigure's house.

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 10- Bad Luck

Hana claims that Sayora will have bad luck for the next week, but Sayora thinks that it's just a joke… with everyone around her affected by her bad luck, will everyone wind up at the hospital?


	10. Bad Luck

**dna**- i am **_SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_** sorry people! you have to believe me! i seriously tried to get this out as soon as possible! i was really busy with school and projects and everything else! this wont happen again! i am sooooo sorry! as an _apology_, i added a side story after this chapter. it isnt much but... I'M SORRY!

**Hopeless Chapter 10- Bad Luck**

It was free period during school, and as usual, Hana, Uo, Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora were hanging out together. Then suddenly, Hana slowly turned her head and looked at Sayora.

"W-what?" Sayora asked, a bit nervous.

"Hmmm….." Hana thought out loud. "Scary…"

"What?" she asked again.

"Your waves… they're appalling…"

Everyone stared at Hana confused.

"Your luck is unbelievably horrendous," she said. "You should be extremely careful until your waves settle down."

Sayora held back a laugh.

"No offense or anything, but are you serious?" Sayora asked. "I'm not in grade school. I don't exactly believe in this good luck bad luck stuff."

"Believe me," Hana ordered, giving Sayora her more than usual creepy look. "Otherwise, you'll be sorry."

Sayora sweat dropped.

"Look, um… thanks for worrying about me an all… I think… but I'll be fine," she replied unworriedly as she leaned her head back. "Ah!"

One of the ceiling tiles fell off and landed right on Sayora's face as everyone except for Hana and Tohru sweat dropped.

"Sayora-san!" Tohru cried. "Oh no! Are you alright! Are you bleeding anywhere! Do you want to see the nurse!"

"I warned you," Hana said.

"The cars're running up and down and all around! Heh heh! Look at the birdies flying with the pwetty stars! I'm such an ass and—" Sayora half said, half slurred as she lost her balance and fell off her chair.

"O-oi!" Uo responded as she quickly got up to check on Sayora who was lying flat on the ground, completely knocked out.

"Sayora-san!" Yuki called as he did the same.

-----Later-----

"That was just a coincidence," Sayora assured. "Nothing to worry abo—what?"

Hana was staring at her again.

"Cats…" she said. "Beware of cats…"

"Don't have to tell me _that_," she replied, Kyo holding back his anger as best as he could.

"Well then, later," Uo said as she and Hana headed off in a different direction.

"Bye Uo-chan, Hana-chan!" Tohru yelled to them.

Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, and Sayora walked in the opposite direction towards Shigure's house. Amazingly, Kyo and Sayora weren't arguing with each other, but that was because he was arguing with Yuki instead.

"Hey, Tohru-san, just out of curiosity, how did you come to live here?" Sayora asked.

"Oh, well, you see... I was accidentally living in Shigure-san's territory, and when Yuki-kun and Shigure-san found out, they insisted that I should stay with them," she answered with a smile.

"Oh… well that was nice of them," _For a change…_ Sayora replied, noticing that Yuki and Kyo were a bit quiet but paid no mind to it.

"Yes, very!"

"Well anyway, it seems that you—" Sayora suddenly stopped talking when she looked ahead of her.

"Sayora-san?" Tohru asked, wondering why she suddenly stopped.

"W-what the hell!" Kyo yelled confused.

"Ah!" Tohru stared in surprise.

"Go away you stupid cat!" Yuki ordered. "You're attracting the other cats all around here!"

"Get off of me, damn cats!" Sayora shouted. "I'm not a friggin yarn ball! Play with something else!"

_Wait a minute…!_ Tohru thought. "Sayora-san! Hana-chan said to be careful around cats!"

"What the hell is up with this!" she continued shouting, not hearing Tohru. "H-huh… K-kyo-kun! Stop!"

Kyo, not hearing Sayora either, jumped back and crashed into her, causing her to lose her balance.

"Sayora-san! Watch out!" Yuki shouted as he watched her fall backwards. "Ah!"

"You're friggin dead you dumb cat!" she screamed as she fell and rolled down the hill.

"Sayora-san!" Tohru shouted after her, the cats abandoning Kyo and Yuki to follow Sayora.

Yuki and Kyo as well as Tohru all ran to the edge of the hill to see if Sayora was okay. She was _far_ from it. Tohru freaked out while Kyo and Yuki watched with a huge sweat drop. As she was rolling down the hill, she crashed into countless trees and bushes. Kyo knew he was in for a huge migraine after this was over.

"What the hell _was_ that anyway?" Kyo asked no one in particular.

"Since when were there so many cats in Shigure's territory?" Yuki asked.

-----At Shigure's House-----

Shigure heard the front door open.

"We're back!" Tohru announced.

"You guys are a bit late today," he replied happily as he walked to the front door to greet them. "What happ— uh…"

He looked at Sayora nervously with a huge sweat drop. She was covered in thorns and twigs and dirt from head to toe.

"I'm gonna go take a bath…" she replied, suppressing her anger.

"Uh…s-sure…" Shigure replied as she stomped off and up the stairs. "What _did_ happen?"

"That psychic girl was saying something about bad luck," Kyo replied unconcerned as he walked into the living room and put his backpack down.

"Bad luck?" Shigure repeated.

-----One Hour Later-----

"Where's Sayora-chan? Is she still in the bath?" Shigure asked, walking into the living room where Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru were.

"Come to think of it, I think she is…" Yuki replied.

"I wonder if something's wrong…" Shigure trailed off. "Tohru-kun, would you mind going to check on her?"

"Oh no, not a problem at all," she responded as she got up and headed towards the bathroom.

"Tch, knowing her and her _bad luck_, she probably fell asleep in the bath tub…" Kyo muttered sarcastically.

A couple seconds after Kyo had said that, the three guys heard Tohru's scream from the bathroom.

"SAYORA-SAN!" she shrieked. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT!"

"What!" Kyo shouted as he and the Yuki dashed to the bathroom.

Yuki stopped at the doorway as did Shigure when he arrived. Kyo ran in, but as soon as he did, he ran back out, his face flushed red.

"Kyo-kun, what a naughty naughty boy," Shigure teased.

"It-it's not like that dammit!" Kyo shouted.

"SAYORA-SAN!" they heard Tohru scream again. "WAKE UP! PLEASE HANG IN THERE!"

"Wha—!" Yuki asked surprised. "Sh-she _actually_ fell asleep!"

"Seems so," Shigure replied calmly. "Someone should go in and help Tohru-kun."

Silence…

"Okay! I will!" he volunteered happily.

"No you won't!" Yuki and Kyo shouted at the same time, smashing his head through his wooden floor.

-----Few Seconds Later-----

Yuki carried Sayora out of the bathroom after Tohru covered her with a large towel. He gently laid her down on the living room floor.

"Sh-she's not breathing!" Tohru freaked out again.

"Move!" Shigure ordered, earning weird looks from Kyo and Yuki.

"What're you going to do?" Yuki asked.

"What else?" he replied dead serious, staring at the other three. "I'm giving her mouth to mouth!" Shigure exclaimed cheerfully with a huge smile plastered across his face.

"No! You're not!" Kyo shouted as he punched Shigure on the head.

"Then _you_ give her mouth to mouth," he said, quickly recovering from Kyo's punch.

"Wha—? Hell no!" he shouted. "Her breath would probably burn my friggin eyebrows off!"

"You're right Kyo-kun, you probably shouldn't do it because you would wind up kissing her!" Shigure teased as he turned to Yuki. "Of course, Yuki-kun wouldn't even dream of such a thing, now would you? Hurry and give her mouth to mouth!"

"What?" Yuki asked, Kyo shouting in the background. "Me? I don't think this is such a great idea Shigure…"

"Then should we have _Tohru-kun_ do it?" he asked exaggeratingly.

"Hell no!" Kyo immediately disagreed as he got to his feet. "I'm calling—ahhhh!"

Kyo slipped on the towel and fell on top of Sayora who opened her eyes and groggily stared up at the ceiling. Tohru, Yuki, and Shigure all stared nervously at the two. Sayora looked at Kyo who was on top of her. Kyo started to get up, feeling a bit dizzy from when he fell. When Sayora finally regained her senses and noticed that she was under Kyo, she merely stared in shock.

"Ky-Kyo-kun…" she said, her face flushed bright red. "Y-you…"

"W-wait!" Kyo began. "I swear it's not what you think! Let me exPLAIIIINNNN!"

"YOU DISGUSTING PERVERT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU DUMBASS CAT! GO TO HELL!" she screamed, clutching onto her towel as she punched Kyo through the wall.

While everyone was still focusing their on Kyo who had just got knocked through the wall like it was paper, Sayora sprinted up the stairs to get some clothes on.

-----Few Minutes Later-----

Tohru was in the kitchen preparing dinner while everyone else was in the living. Shigure was watching some random show on TV. Yuki and Kyo of course, were arguing.

BAAMM!

The arguing abruptly stopped as the two looked up in the direction of the stairs. Shigure turned his head towards the sound and Tohru walked into the living room to join them. The four of them looked at each other as Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure got up and walked towards the stairs followed by Tohru.

Everyone sweat dropped. Sayora was lying at the bottom of the stairs completely knocked out.

"Sa-Sa-Sa-Sa-SAYORA-SAN!" Tohru shrieked, blasting everyone's ears out. "OH MY GOD! ARE YOU ALRIGHT! SAYORA-SAN! WE-WE-WE-WE HAVE T-TO DO SOMETHING!"

"Yes, yes," Shigure agreed calmly, his ears still ringing. "So Tohru-kun, would you run into the kitchen to get some ice for Sayora-chan?"

"O-of course!" she replied as she scurried back towards the kitchen.

-----Another Few Minutes Later-In the Living Room-----

Yuki arrived downstairs with a pillow and a blanket. Kyo was forced to help Shigure lay out a futon for her. A couple more minutes, Tohru made her way into the living room, dragging a huge bag with her.

"I-is that the ice Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked with a sweat drop.

"Yes!" she answered boldly.

Everything was silent.

"He said get **_SOME_** ice!" Kyo shouted. "Not to freeze all the water in the house!"

"So-sorry!"

"That's enough Kyo!" Yuki defended her. "She's just trying to help!"

"Shut up you dumb rat!" he argued.

"What was that you said?" Yuki asked calmly as an ice cube hit Kyo's head.

_Ah! When did he get that!_ Tohru asked herself, seeing as how she was at the opposite side of the room.

Trembling from anger, Kyo grabbed the ice that fell beside him and chucked it at Yuki, miserably missing and almost hitting Sayora after it bounced off of the wall.

"If you two must fight, do it _outside_ the house so Sayora-chan won't be in the middle of it… literally…" Shigure advised. And he was right. Yuki was on the far right side of her while Kyo and Tohru were on the far left.

"What in the world was that?" Yuki taunted. "Were you trying to aim above and beyond, stupid cat?"

"That's it!" Kyo shouted again as he grabbed the bag full of ice.

He swung the bag and suddenly flew backwards.

"Sa-Sayora-san…?" Yuki looked at the pile of ice that was covering her up. She was completely swirly eyed.

Kyo got up and held the bag up to notice that there was a huge hole in it and sweat dropped once more. Tohru, as usual, freaked out.

"I warned you…" Shigure merely said.

-----About Twenty Minutes Later-----

There was a knock on the door, interrupting everyone from dinner.

"I'll answer the door," Tohru replied.

"Thank you Tohru-kun," Shigure said.

"Hatori-san, please, come in," they heard Tohru say.

The two of them arrived at the living room/dining room. Sayora still lied on the futon over on the side.

"Hi Haa-san!" Shigure greeted enthusiastically, not getting a response from the doctor.

Instead, Hatori went straight to Sayora and sweat dropped.

"So… let me get this straight…" Hatori said. "She fell down a hill, almost drowned in the bath, fell down the stairs, and got a bag of ice dumped on her…"

"Pretty much," Shigure replied with a smile on his face.

Hatori sighed.

-----Next Morning-----

Sayora was dragging her feet to school along with Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru.

"Um… Sayora-san, are you sure you should be up today?" Tohru asked in concern, seeing as how Sayora looked half dead. "You should take a day off and stay in bed."

"Tch, don't worry about her," Kyo replied. "If she passes out, we can stuff her in a bag and throw her into the ocean."

"Who's gonna be in stuffed in the bag you stupid cat!" Sayora shouted as Kyo easily dodged her flying backpack.

"Oh, so you're back to normal now!" he shouted at her.

"No! I'm not!" she shouted back.

"Uuaahhhh!" Tohru suddenly panicked, the other three turning their attention to her.

"Honda-san, what is it?" Yuki asked alarmed. He followed Tohru's gaze and found the problem. So did Kyo and Sayora.

"Oh great…" Sayora muttered.

Sawaki sat leaning against the wall twitching. Sayora went over to pick up her backpack.

_A black belt for seven years and he can't dodge a backpack? What the hell… people these days…_

Sayora turned and was about to walk away when something suddenly grabbed her hand

"Sayora-san, it's okay!" Sawaki exclaimed, suddenly appearing next to her, scaring the hell out of her. "No need to be shy! Just walk to school with me and I'll forgive you!"

She yanked her hand out of his, her hand hitting his chin on the way up.

"I don't want your friggin forgiveness!" she shouted irritatedly.

"Sayora-san!" Sawaki called, Sayora ignoring him. "Sayora-san!"

She continued to ignore him. "Watch out for the—!"

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" she screamed.

"Pit…" he finished lamely.

-----At School-----

"Huh? Hey Sayora, what happened to you?" one of her classmates asked as she and the others walked into the classroom. "You're covered in dirt!"

"Nothing!" she said through her teeth as she made her way over to her desk.

"Sawaki, what'd you do to her?" the classmate accused.

"Nothing!" he denied.

WAMM!

Everyone spun towards the sound to find Sayora on the floor and the chair underneath her.

"W-wow…" Sawaki said in amazement and in disbelief. "How in the world are you hiding your obesity!"

"What obesity!" Sayora angrily shouted. "Cheap ass chairs! What the hell are they made of anyway!"

"The legs are made of steel…" one of the classmates said. "There's no way that thing could've broken under someone _your_ weight."

"She's hiding her obesity I tell you!" Sawaki declared. "But have no fear, even if everyone else looks at you in disgust, you will always be the woman of my dreams as long as you continue to hide your obesity!"

"Go to hell!" she screamed as she punched Sawaki through the classroom sliding door.

"Your waves are getting a _bit_ better…" Hana said in her monotone voice. "Soon… you will confront someone you—"

"Um… Hana… can you drop the bad luck junk?" Sayora cut her off. "I really appreciate your concern, really, but I have a huge migraine right now and would prefer not to have it grow any larger."

"You've been warned," Hana said creepily.

-----Lunch-----

Sayora went to the lunch line by herself to check out what they had.

_Hm… bread you can't bite into… rice and chicken… make that **half** cooked chicken… pork buns, the kinds that make you puke… noodles that are sticky to the point where you can't even cut it with a knife… mashed potatoes and gravy… make that mashed **crap**…_ Sayora sighed. _School lunch seriously sucks…_

"What the hell is your problem!" she heard Kyo shout.

"But Kyoooo!" she heard Momiji whine.

Sayora turned around only to have a tray full of food collide into her face. Her eye twitched in anger as Kyo nervously turned around to look at her.

"Wa-wait!" Kyo replied stepping back as Sayora grabbed the tray which was stained with gravy, some mashed potatoes, and chicken.

"Yay! Food fight!" Momiji shouted enthusiastically, throwing his hands up.

Sayora hurled the food stained tray back at Kyo who quickly ducked down as it crashed into someone else behind him. He looked up behind him to see a pissed of gym teacher. Kyo and Yuki sweat dropped. Momiji was laughing like hell. Haru had no expression. As usual, Tohru freaked out.

_Shit…_ she thought nervously.

"Sayora…!" the teacher growled, keeping in as much anger as he can. "IN MY OFFICE! _NOW!_"

-----Twenty Minutes Later-----

Everyone was waiting outside of the gym teacher's office. Finally, the door opened and Sayora walked out looking glum.

"Sayora-san… what happened?" Tohru asked worriedly.

She sighed.

"I got off the hook _this_ time, but the lecture he gave me was hell…" she said tiredly, rubbing her ears.

Yuki smiled.

"Well, at least it was just a lecture and nothing more than that," he said.

"With someone like him, saying that it was _just _a lecture is completely insane," Sayora replied.

"I'm glad nothing happened though," Tohru said relieved.

"I guess you could say that," Sayora said. "Anyway, let's go home. I'm beat…"

Sayora started walking ahead, the others following behind her. Suddenly, she stopped at the intersection and bent down to grab something.

"Sayora-san? What is it?" Tohru asked, she and the others stopping a few feet before the intersection.

"It says…_ don't look up_…?" she read, completely confused.

Sayora looked up and suddenly, the ceiling tile slid aside as basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, and softballs came rushing down on her, burying her completely.

-----Few Minutes Later-----

"What… the hell!" she said between her teeth.

"It _did_ say _don't look up_," Kyo pointed out, adding more fuel to the fire.

"Shut the hell up you smartass!" Sayora shouted. "_You _would've looked up too!"

"Maybe, but I wouldn't be dumb enough to just stand there and let myself get buried like you did!" Kyo shouted back.

"Oh, right! I'd like to see you move out of the way in time!" Sayora argued. "I barely had time to notice the crap falling down!"

"That's cuz you're an idiot!"

"And you think you aren't!"

"No! I'm not!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"Oh ye—!"

THONNKKKKK!

Everyone stared wide eyed at what was on Sayora's head, especially Kyo seeing as how he was standing right next to her. Slowly, the object rolled off of her head.

WAAMMM!

The bowling ball landed on the ground and rolled down the hall. Soon enough, Sayora fell to the floor stiffer than a statue.

-----At Home-----

"A bowling ball this time?" Shigure asked amused. "My, she's really not having the best of luck, is she?"

"Apparently not," Yuki sighed. "And all this dumb cat is worrying about is that it could've fell on him instead of her."

Shigure turned to look at Kyo.

"That could've been me!" he said, unaware of everything. "I was standing right next to her! If I were even a couple more inches over, that thing would've landed on _me_!"

Shigure sweat dropped.

"I think Kyo-kun was the one who got hit with the bowling ball," he said.

"Isn't he always like this?" Yuki asked.

"I heard that you damn rat!" Kyo shouted.

"Oh, you're back to normal?" he asked. "I shouldn't have said anything…"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean!" he shouted again.

"Now now boys, remember, if you must fight, do it outside the house," Shigure warned as the two started to fight. "Remember what happened the last time you two fought with Sayora in the middle of everything?"

Not hearing Shigure, Yuki and Kyo continued to fight. Yuki threw a punch which Kyo caught, and Kyo threw a punch that Yuki caught. With both of them unable to free their hands, they started to try and push each other back and forth with Sayora, literally, in the middle of the two. She was lying on the futon right in between Kyo and Yuki who were fighting right next to the futon.

"I made some tea," she said as she walked out of the kitchen with the tray in her hands to see the two fighting. "Yuki-kun! Kyo-kun! Both of you, please stop fighting! You'll wake Sayora-san up!"

Tohru threw her hands up in the air.

"Honda-san!" Yuki cried.

"O-o-oi!" Kyo shouted as he and Yuki jumped back as far as they possibly could.

Shigure lamely watched as the tray full of four cups of hot tea flew in Sayora's direction.

"…Mm…"

Sayora slowly opened her eyes only to find hot tea hovering right above her. She gasped in terror.

"N-N-N-N-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-!" Sayora cried desperately as everything switched to slow motion.

-----A Few Moments Later-----

Hatori, once again, was called over to check on Sayora.

"I'm so sorry Sayora-san!" Tohru apologized for the millionth time.

"She'll be fine," Hatori informed.

"Sorry to bother you Haa-san," Shigure said.

Hatori got up and turned to Shigure.

"Make sure she gets plenty of rest," he then turned to Yuki and Kyo. "And you two, no fighting until she gets better."

-----Free Period Next Day-----

Everyone was out in front of the school walking back to class. Kyo and Yuki were arguing again, as always.

"What the hell!" Kyo shouted. "You wanna fight me!"

"It's wrong to pick on the weak," Yuki replied calmly.

"You've gotta good point," Sayora agreed.

"What!" Kyo shouted again.

Tohru watched a bit nervously as the three of them started arguing, Kyo quickly losing his temper.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" Kyo shouted at Yuki as Sayora stopped walking, no one noticing.

"I'm—"

"…_Akito_…"

"Huh?" everyone asked as they turned around to face Sayora.

_W-what the hell…?_ Kyo wondered when he saw the look of fear on her face.

"Ah!" Tohru cried in surprise when she turned back around, causing the two guys to turn around as well.

"What a coincidence!" Akito said, earning a shocked expression from Kyo and Yuki. "I wasn't expecting to run into all three of you so soon!"

"A-Akito-san…" Tohru said quietly. _Oh no! _

"Oh, and you too of course, Honda-san," Akito replied. "Sayora, how're you doing?"

Kyo glanced back at her, seeing the same scared expression on her face.

_Is she really **that** scared of him?_ Kyo asked himself.

"It's been quite a while now hasn't it?" Akito asked as he walked towards Sayora.

He frowned in irritation however, when Kyo stepped in front of him, standing between Akito and Sayora. Yuki, after hesitating a little, joined Kyo.

_Kyo-kun… Yuki-kun…_ Sayora thought. _It's not okay to keep thinking that they'll protect me like this… I said I'd be stronger. I said I wouldn't let Akito control me, but I'm scared to act against him._

_They're… they're all trying to protect her…_ Tohru thought. _I… I have to help them too, but what can I do…?_

"Yuki, I haven't talked to you for a while now, have I?" Akito smiled. "You should come over and spend some time with me sometime. I get so lonely when you don't come to visit me."

Yuki started to get nervous. Kyo, Tohru, and Sayora all noticed it too.

"Let me ask you something," Akito said, lowering his voice. "Why are you defending that _outsider_? It's not like she's part of our family. Even Kyo is better than _her_. She's worthless, nothing but wasted space. Something like that doesn't need protection."

"She's not an object!" Kyo said firmly, glaring at Akito as their eyes met.

"How sweet," he taunted. "A monster protecting his precious property."

"She's not my—!"

"He's not a monster!" Sayora shouted at Akito, shocking him and everyone else. "Just because he's the cat doesn't mean anything!" _I won't let him criticize Kyo-kun like that! I don't want him to say bad things about him…_

_Sayora-san…_ Tohru thought worriedly.

"What did you say?" Akito asked, glaring at her.

"You heard me!" she replied.

It was quiet. Everyone was glaring at Akito, and he was glaring at everyone.

"Let me just warn you, it would be very _stupid_ of you to do something and make me mad," he said. "I'll be seeing you soon."

With that, Akito walked away and got in the car that one of his servants was driving. Everyone watched in silence as it took off.

"Um… what do you think Akito-san meant when he said he'll be seeing us later?" Tohru broke the silence, asking no one in particular.

"I… don't know," Yuki replied.

The bell rang loudly, indicating that their free period was over. They all walked back to their class without saying a word to each other.

-----In the Classroom-----

"Your waves have calmed down quite a bit…" Hana said as soon as Sayora entered the classroom.

"Oi, Sayora, you okay?" Uo asked. "You look kinda… stressed or sad or something like that."

"I'm fine, really," she assured.

"It was all _your_ fault, wasn't it Kyon?" Uo accused. "What'd you do? Punch her in the chest on purpose and told her that it was an accident?"

"What the hell're you blaming me for!" Kyo denied. "I didn't do anything!"

The teacher cleared her throat loudly.

"Class has already started!" she informed in an annoyed voice. "If you six insist on talking, you can do it while standing _outside _the classroom. Otherwise, sit down!"

"Oh, we're sorry!" Tohru apologized as she ran to her seat.

"Please excuse us," Yuki said as he and everyone else walked to their seats.

"Now, open your books to page 20—!"

WWAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM!

The teacher turned around to see Sayora half buried under the textbooks that fell from the table beside her.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed as she ran next to her. "Souma! Souma! Someone get the nurse!"

-----After School-----

As always, Uo, Hana, Tohru, and the others were walking home.

"Bye Uo-chan, Hana-chan!" Tohru waved as she walked in the opposite direction.

"Later!" Uo shouted back as she and Hana walked the other way.

Hana suddenly felt a jolt, spinning around to look at Sayora who was with Tohru and the others.

"What is it?" Uotani asked.

"Her waves… they just suddenly went back to normal…" she replied quietly.

-----At Shigure's House-----

"We're home!" Tohru announced as always.

"Oh, welcome home," Shigure greeted, noticing that Sayora didn't look normal. "Sayora-chan, is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine," Sayora replied. "I'll be… on the roof or something…"

"Okay," he said.

Once Sayora was out of the house, Shigure turned to Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru.

"Did something—huh?"

Yuki and Kyo walked past him and into the living room.

"Tohru-kun, what happened?" Shigure asked.

"Well…," Tohru hesitated. "We met Akito-san at school…"

"What?" he asked again. "But why would he go_ there_?"

"I'm not sure myself…" she replied. "But I'm worried about Sayora-san… I hope she's okay…"

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine," Shigure assured with a smile. "Don't worry about her much, okay? Now, I'm hungry. Would you mind making lunch right now Tohru-kun?"

"Oh no! Not at all!" Tohru said as she hurried to the kitchen, Shigure's smile fading.

-----An Hour Later-----

"That was delicious!" Shigure said happily. "Thank you Tohru-kun."

"Oh, it wasn't that great," she denied shyly.

"Where's Sayora-san?" Yuki asked. "Isn't she hungry?"

"She said that she was fine," Tohru replied.

"Oh…" he trailed off.

_They're sad…_ Tohru thought helplessly.

"Kyo-kun! Yuki-kun!" she called enthusiastically. "I want to show you something! Will you come to my room?"

"Ah… sure," Yuki replied as he got up.

"Kyo-kun, you too!"

"What're you so excited about?" Kyo asked as he got up as well and followed the two up to Tohru's room.

"Don't do anything_ naughty_ you guys!" Shigure shouted after them, laughing to himself when he heard Yuki and Kyo shouting back at him. "Hm?"

The phone rang.

"Hello?" he asked when he answered the phone.

"Shigure," a familiar voice said.

"Akito-san! What brings you to call me?" Shigure asked again.

"I'm coming over. Come outside and wait for me," he ordered. "I don't feel like getting out of the car."

"Okay," he replied obediently.

-----Fifteen Minutes Later-----

Shigure finally saw the car which pulled up in front of his house. He walked up to the car as Akito lowered his window.

"Hi Akito-san!" Shigure greeted with a huge smile. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

"No," he said. "I won't be staying long. I needed to talk to you. That's all."

"Oh?" Shigure asked. "What is it you need to talk to me about?"

"It's that girl!" Akito said hatefully. "Can you believe she tried to order me around!"

"You mean Sayora-chan?" he inquired.

"Who else!" he asked irritatedly.

-----Tohru, Kyo, and Yuki-----

Tohru was digging in her closet looking for something while Yuki, and amazingly Kyo, were patiently waiting. Suddenly, Kyo heard something outside and looked out the window.

_Akito!_ he thought. _Why the hell is he here!_

Yuki soon noticed the voices outside and joined Kyo by the window. Kyo glanced at Yuki and turned his attention back outside.

_Akito?_ Yuki thought.

-----Shigure and Akito-----

"I give her _this_ much freedom and she thinks she can do whatever she wants!" Akito complained, unaware that everyone except Sayora and Tohru were listening to his conversation with Shigure. "Honestly, does she seriously think that she can _fit in_ with everyone?"

Shigure was silent.

"Does she think that everyone has _accepted_ her or _gotten used_ to her being around? Look at Yuki, still calling her Sayora-_san_ after all this time," he continued. "He doesn't do that for anyone _else_ in the family, does he? And look at _her_, still being so polite to everyone when she calls their name. She makes me sick!"

It was still silent.

"I think she feels nervous and insecure," Shigure replied with a small smile. "She's still trying to understand."

"Something like her would never understand," Akito said. "She has no family. She has no life. She has _nothing_."

Shigure didn't reply.

"Earlier today, I called Kyo a monster. She _still_ doesn't know. She thought I was calling him a monster because he's the cat. Such a stupid girl."

"Well, I don't think she's stupid," Shigure replied.

Akito glared at him.

"Are you _defending_ her? Are you trying to defy me!" he asked.

"No, no," he answered. "I wouldn't dare do something like that."

"Good. I'm leaving now."

"Was that it?" Shigure asked. "Alright then."

The window rolled up and the car took off as Shigure headed back towards the house.

"Sayora-chan!" Shigure said surprised. "How long have you been there?"

"Just now," she replied. "Why?"

"Oh," he replied relieved. "No reason. Let's go back inside."

Sayora didn't move. Shigure turned around and looked at her.

"Sayora-chan…" he called quietly when he saw the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Akito said… I had no family, no life… that I had nothing…" she said quietly as Shigure's eyes widened. "He's wrong…"

"So you were there the whole time!" he asked.

"No… that was all I heard," she replied.

"Shigure," Yuki called as he and Kyo came out of the house.

"Well… and…" Sayora turned around to look at Kyo. "What did Akito mean when he said… you were a monster?"

Kyo flinched as Yuki glanced at him calmly. Shigure's eyes, once again, widened, but they quickly went back to normal.

"Oh, it's nothing," Shigure replied for Kyo with a smile. "You know how the cat is considered the _monster_? That was all. Akito-san didn't mean anything more by that."

"Oh… good…" she said quietly, earning herself a confused look from everyone. "Because no one wants to be around a monster…"

Kyo's eyes widened and his mouth slightly dropped open in shock. Both Shigure and Yuki looked at Kyo.

"Sayora-chan," Shigure said. "Honestly, was there anything else you heard?"

"No," she replied as she turned around and looked up at the sky.

"Sayora-chan, I'm going to go back inside, alright?" Shigure asked. "Come back in soon. If you stay out too long, you're going to catch a cold. Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun, you guys too."

"Sure," she replied.

"Yeah, we'll go back inside in a minute," Yuki said.

_I have no family… no life… nothing eh…? I guess he has a point… but I guess he doesn't understand that I've changed a bit. _

… _this is my family now… this is my life. **This**… is what I have… back then, I didn't have to be scared of losing something important. I didn't have to worry about facing that kind of pain, but now I do… and I never want to lose that feeling because it tells me that I'm not alone anymore._

Shigure stopped right in front of the door.

"Oh, Sayora-chan, one more thing," he said. _"And look at her, still being so polite to everyone when she calls their name. She makes me sick!"_

"What?" she asked.

"From now on, just _Shigure_ is fine, okay?"

She whirled around to look at him.

"But—"

"Okay?" Shigure asked. "And I'm sure _Yuki_ and _Kyo_ is fine too. Right guys?"

Yuki smiled and nodded while Kyo looked away.

"Tch, I told her that years ago, but like hell she'll ever listen to _me_," he said.

"You don't have to be so polite to us. After all, we're your family now… right?"

Sayora smiled.

"Right…" she replied.

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 11- Shigure's Picnic

Shigure plans a picnic for everyone, but for what? To tease his editor of course! He invites almost everyone to this picnic of his, even Hiro and Kisa, and sadly for some, Ayame. The picnic was going well until Hiro calls. What happened to Kisa…?

**Side Story- Behind the Wheel**

There was a knock on the door. Tohru got up to answer it.

"Oh, Hatori-san!" she exclaimed. "Please, come in!"

Hatori walked into the living room where Kyo and Yuki were arguing as usual. Shigure was flipping through the channels on his television while Sayora was in the backyard punching a dummy for practice.

"Sayora-san! Hatori-san is here!" she informed as Sayora walked to the living room.

"Hatori? What're you doing here?" Yuki asked.

"Shigure called me over," he replied as he took a seat.

"What for?" Yuki wondered.

"Don't ignore me!" Kyo shouted at Yuki.

"It's a secret!" Shigure said cheerfully. "No! Don't go! I was just kidding Haa-san!" he exclaimed as he reached out to Hatori who was already on his feet and ready to leave.

"I'll bet you it's something _really_ stupid," Sayora said.

"That's mean Sayora-chan!" he whined.

"Shut up," she sighed as she went back outside to continue training.

"Hatori-san, have you had anything to eat yet?" Tohru asked as she walked to the kitchen. "Would you like anything?"

"I'll just have tea…" he replied.

"Okay!"

A few seconds later, Tohru came out with tea for everyone. Sayora came in for a break to join the others.

"So Shigure, what did you call Hatori here for anyway?" Yuki asked curiously.

Hatori sipped his tea.

"I want to learn how to drive!" Shigure declared, causing Hatori to literally spit out his tea at Sayora who was sitting right across from him.

Hatori sweat dropped as he tried to regain his posture, wiping his mouth with his napkin. Everyone else also sweat dropped at what Hatori unexpectedly did and the look on Sayora's twitching face as she got up and went to the restroom to wash her face, forcing herself to stay calm.

"What?" Shigure asked. "Is it _that_ much of a shock?"

"What… what made you want to drive Shigure?" Yuki asked.

"Hm? What do you mean Yuki-kun?" he questioned. "Believe it or not, I _would_ like to learn how to drive."

Sayora reentered the room and sat back down.

"For you, it's called _"Drunken Driving"_ because I _highly_ doubt you'll be able to even turn the steering wheel without flipping the car over," she said.

"I know!" Shigure exclaimed as if he just came up with a bright idea. "You all learn how to drive too!"

"What!" Kyo asked.

"You're all old enough," he replied. "And we can invite Haru-kun and Momiji-kun, and even Aaya-san!"

"Shigure…" Hatori trailed off. "Trust me… you're not ready to handle a car…"

"Oh, it can't be that hard!" Shigure said coolly. "_You_ did it, didn't you Haa-san?"

"I'm different…" he replied.

"O-o-o-o-o-o-oh! A c-c-c-c-c-c-car!" Tohru started panicking. "I don't know if I can even t-t-t-t-t-try to—"

"Don't worry Tohru-kun!"

"Why the hell do _we_ need to learn how to drive right _now_ anyway?" Kyo asked.

"Oh, is it too hard for you Kyo-kun?" Shigure taunted. "Or are you just afraid that Yuki-kun and Sayora-chan will be better at it than you?"

"To hell they will!" Kyo shouted. "Let's go! Right now! I'm not about to lose to that dumb rat and that stupid wolf!"

"Shigure, that's dirty…" Yuki sighed.

"At least leave _us_ out of this," Sayora sighed as well.

"Well then, let's go!" he shouted joyfully, already at the door.

_Great…_ Hatori thought.

-----Behind the Wheel-----

Everyone was there; Shigure, Kyo, Yuki, Tohru, Sayora, Momiji, Hatsuharu, Ayame, and Hatori who was only there to watch.

"Alright, will Yuki-san please come with me?" the lady asked.

"Huh? Me first?" Yuki asked nervously as he walked forward.

He got in the car as the lady got in the passenger seat beside him.

"Okay, as you already probably know, the right pedal is the accelerator and the left one is the brakes," she informed.

"So then…" Yuki switched the gear to _D_ and slowly stepped on the accelerator.

"That's it!" the lady said. "Now, just push a little harder than that. You don't have to drive _that_ slow."

"Okay… so…" he pushed on the accelerator again, this time, a little too hard.

The car took off.

"Ah!" Yuki shouted as he slammed on the brakes, both he and the lady jerking forward.

"L-let's try that again," the lady said, wiping away her sweat with her handkerchief. "This time, push a little less hard."

"Like this?" he asked as he pushed the accelerator again, still pushing it too hard.

"Waahh!" the lady screamed as Yuki once again slammed on the brakes.

-----Tohru-----

"Is this your first time Tohru-san?" the young lady asked kindly.

"Y-y-y-y-y-yes," Tohru replied, freaking out.

"There's no need to be nervous," the young lady replied with a warm smile. "It's much easier than it looks. Now, just change the gear to _D_ and gently press the right pedal."

Tohru grabbed the gear and nervously moved it to _D_, but her trembling hand made it switch to _R_ by accident.

"Wait! No!" the young lady yelled alarmed as Tohru smashed her foot down on the pedal.

The car took off… _backwards_… the two girls screamed as the car flew back left and right.

-----Shigure-----

Shigure sighed.

_Why do **I** get a guy for my instructor?_

"So do you know what to do?" the man asked him.

"You move the gear and step on the pedal and turn the steering wheel," Shigure answered. "Right?"

Without waiting for a reply, Shigure moved the gear to a random letter, slammed on the accelerator, and turned the wheel in random directions.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" his instructor screamed, clinging to the door.

The car scraped the edge of the rail on the road.

"Turn the other way! Other way!" the instructor shouted. "I don't wanna die!"

Shigure turned the wheel completely the other way as the car hit the other rail on the other side of the road.

"Nooo! Other way!" the man screamed.

-----Kyo-----

"Kyo-san," the old lady called as she slowly walked in the car and got in the passenger seat, Kyo getting in the driver's seat. "Alright, whenever you're ready, you can start."

Kyo changed the gear to _D_…

-----Sayora-----

"Sayora-san," the old man called. "I'm ready to start whenever you are."

Sayora got in the driver's seat and also changed the gear to _D_…

-----A Little While Later-----

Amazing, Kyo and Sayora were doing well…_ were_… that is… until they met up with each other on the road. Then… war broke out…

"You think you can beat _me_ you damn cat!" Sayora shouted through her opened window.

"I can beat you with my eyes shut!" Kyo shouted back through his opened window.

They both slammed on the accelerator, racing down the road with the two old instructors in the car with them hanging on to whatever they can for dear life.

"Please Kyo-san, slow down!" the elderly woman yelled, looking like she was ready to puke any minute.

Suddenly, both Sayora and Kyo jerked to the side.

"You dumb wolf!" Kyo shouted. "Watch it! You bumped into me!"

"_You_ bumped into _me_!" Sayora shouted back.

"Oh dear, Sayora-san, please have mercy on an old man like me and drive more slowly!" the old man yelled. "I want to die peacefully!"

Ignoring the two elderly people in the car with them, Kyo and Sayora started to crash their car into one another.

-----Momiji-----

"Momiji-san, over here!" called another young lady.

"Yay!" Momiji shouted enthusiastically as he happily ran over and got in the car.

"Oh, _you're_ Momiji-san?" the young lady asked. "You look so young."

"I know!" he replied cheerfully as always. "That's only because the others are so mean all the time!"

"Can you see?" the lady asked again, seeing as how Momiji's head was barely above the steering wheel.

"This one means forward, right?" Momiji asked.

"Yes, that's right," she answered. "But you need to start the engine first Momiji-san."

Momiji turned the key while the accelerator was still pushed all the way down.

"Waaaaaaaaahhhh!" the young lady screamed. "Speed bump Momiji-san! Speed bump!"

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Momiji squealed.

The car flew at least twenty feet off ground when it ran off of the speed bump. It came down with a huge _THUD_! Momiji still didn't release the accelerator as the car zoomed past Sayora and Kyo's car.

"W-what the!" Kyo shouted.

"Was that the dumb rabbit!" Sayora asked as she rammed her car into Kyo's who rammed his car back.

-----Hatsuharu----

"Hatsuharu-san?" a young man called. "This way please."

"My turn already?" Haru asked calmly.

Haru changed the gear to _D_ and started to slowly drive.

"You can go faster," the young man replied.

"I'm good…" Haru replied.

-----Two Minutes Later-----

"You _can_ go faster Hatsuharu-san," the young man said.

"I'm fine, thanks," Haru replied.

-----Two Minutes Later-----

"Hatusharu-san, you can speed up," the young man said.

"No thanks," Haru replied.

-----Two Minutes Later-----

"There's really no need to drive like a grandma Hatsuharu-san," the young man said.

There was no reply from Haru as he continued at the same speed.

"You can drive faster than this," the young man said again.

Haru turned and glared at him, making the man flinch.

"You're pissing me off," Haru said, turning into black mode.

"E-excuse me…?" the man asked nervously.

"You want me to drive faster? Is my driving not _fast_ enough? Then how's _this_ for driving like a grandma?"

Haru slammed on the pedal and then slammed on the brakes, then slammed on the pedal again.

"Is this okay for you!" he asked. "Is this _fast_ enough for you!"

"I'm sorry!" the man apologized as he jerked forward with the rest of the things in the car and jerked back again when Haru slammed on the accelerator.

-----Ayame-----

"Ayame-san, we're ready for you now," a lady called.

Ayame got in car and stared at the lady.

"You can start any moment now Ayame-san," she said nervously.

"Forget the driving," Ayame replied. "You know, I own a clothes store, and I have a _perfect_ dress that would match your gorgeous face."

"Oh my, that's very nice of you," she said blushing.

"No need to say anything! By the way, do you have a younger brother?" he asked her.

"Oh… no," she answered. "Why?"

"Oh, that's too bad…" he pretended to heavily sigh. "I have a younger brother who's still single…"

The lady twitched.

"I-is he i-into that k-kind of r-relationship?" she asked, trying her best not to show her disgusted face.

"Oh, no!" Ayame exclaimed. "Please, don't get me wrong! My beloved brother is not that kind of person! It's just that he might be mistaken for a lesbian if he goes out with a girl!"

"O-oh… I see…" she replied twitching, trying to smile.

"He looks so girly it makes me want to dress him up in my maid uniforms!" he laughed.

_Is this guy an incest?_ she thought as she nervously pretended to laugh. _I've gotta get away from him!_

-----Few Minutes Later-----

Everyone returned to the waiting room where Hatori was. The instructors looked completely dead. Yuki's instructor looked like she completely exhausted. Tohru's instructor had hair sticking out in all directions literally. Shigure's instructor still had tears in his eyes. Kyo and Sayora's instructors, the elderly people, had been sent to the hospital after they fainted. Momiji's instructor's heart was still beating from what seemed like a roller coaster ride gone haywire. Haru's instructor could barely still stand up. Ayame's instructor just looked really freaked out.

"We really enjoyed the uh… _experience_ you all gave us today," one of the instructors replied, nervously smiling. "However, we think that your driving needs a bit more work still. After you get more… uh… anyway… please come again at another time."

-----Later-----

"I told you this was a bad idea Shigure…" Hatori said.


	11. Shigure's Picnic

**dna-** i actually got this one out pretty fast! newayz, enjoy this chap!

**Hopeless Chapter 11- Shigure's Picnic**

"You're the dumbest wolf I've ever met!" Kyo shouted.

"I'm probably the _only_ wolf you'll ever meet that won't rip you apart to pieces!" Sayora shouted back.

"This is ridiculous…" Yuki sighed. "Can't you two ever talk in a normal conversation?"

"Oh yeah! Speak for yourself you little rodent!" she snapped.

"Butt out you stupid rat!" Kyo yelled. "This is between me and the damn wolf!"

"Oh, so this is a lover's quarrel?" Yuki asked calmly.

"You wanna start something!" Kyo shouted at him.

"K-Kyo-kun… Yuki-kun… p-p-please..." Tohru stammered.

"Scurry away to _Honda-san _like a good little mouse!" Sayora shouted at him as well.

"Eh?" Tohru didn't get it.

A vein popped up on Yuki's head.

"I'll knock the hell out of you so bad that you'll look like a grandma instead of a girl!" Kyo continued.

"Go back to your cage you stupid guinea pig!" Sayora yelled.

Two more veins popped up on his head.

"Why don't you two get a room?" he asked, containing his anger in the best he can. "You support each other very well together. And more than that, you both argue everyday. They say the more a couple love each other, the more they argue."

"You and _kitten_ here argue everyday too!" Sayora argued. "That must mean you guys are _sooooooooo_ in love! Right!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Kyo shouted.

"Come to think of it, I remember that you and Kagura argued every time you two met," Yuki replied. "What does that say for the relationship between you two?"

"Shut the hell up you dumbass rat!" she shouted. "Why the hell are you in this argument anyway!"

_Because of you and that idiot cat!_ Yuki thought.

"W—!"

"Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, Tohru-kun, Sayora-chan!" Shigure chirped happily, interrupting their argument.

"W-H-A-T-?-?" Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora growled/hissed at him, scaring Shigure and Tohru.

"Uh… well… I was thinking that we should go on a picnic today!" he announced cheerfully.

"Huh? Why so sudden?" Yuki asked.

_Damn rat!_ Kyo and Sayora thought. _Taking this opportunity to back out like a coward!_

Yuki turned to glare at the two, making them flinch.

"That thought… what were you two thinking just now?" he asked creepily.

"W-what!" Sayora shouted.

"H-have you gone nuts!" Kyo asked.

_Like that psychic girl?_ they both thought.

Tohru stared at the three confused as Shigure continued.

"Can I not go on a picnic?" he asked dramatically, deliberately making Tohru feel sorry for him.

"Oh, no! Please don't be sad Shigure-san!" Tohru exclaimed. "Let's go on a picnic! I'll go prepare the food right now!"

"Oh, you're so kind Tohru-kun!" Shigure exclaimed. "But please, don't bother… Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun and Sayora-chan… I don't want to make them go through this picnic that they declined so immediately!"

"When the hell did we do _that_!" Kyo shouted.

"See Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked, putting the back of his hand to his forehead as if in grief. "They don't want to go!"

"Hey! Stop putting words in our mouths!" Sayora shouted.

"Oh, the grief and pain!" he continued. "They're even denying the fact that they broke my heart! They don't want to go, but… oh the grief!"

"No! Shigure-san! I'm sure they didn't mean it like that!" Tohru quickly said, trying to _cheer up_ Shigure. "I'm sure they'd love to go on a picnic! Wouldn't you, Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun, Sayora-san! Let's all go on a picnic together!"

The three of them sweat dropped.

_Oh the grief of not being able to say 'no' to her…_ they thought as they reluctantly agreed to go.

Shigure did a mini pump fist in victory as Tohru happily walked to the kitchen to prepare the food they need.

"Okay!" Shigure chirped again as he walked towards the telephone.

"What're you doing _now_?" Sayora asked tiredly.

"You weren't thinking that it was just going to be the five of us, did you?" he asked, making it sound like it should've been the most obvious thing in the world.

Shigure dialed a number as they listened to what he was saying.

"Haa-san! It's me!" he greeted cheerfully. "Are you busy…? Oh… that's great! We're going on a picnic … no, no, not just us. Everyone over here is going… could you invite Momiji-kun and Haa-kun …?"

"Oh!" Tohru popped out of the kitchen when she heard Shigure inviting more people. "Shigure-san, would it be alright if Kisa-san came too?"

"Hahaha! I'm sure that'll be fine," Shigure laughed as he turned his attention back to his phone conversation with Hatori. "Did you hear that Haa-san? Tohru-kun wants to invite Sa-chan along…! Hey, come to think of it, why don't we invite Aaya along with—_u…s………_"

Shigure trembled in fear as Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora glared down at him.

"_M-m-m-maybe n-n-n-n-not……_" he replied over the phone teary eyed. "Alright then… see you soon Haa-sa—"

Hatori hung up before Shigure could finish talking.

"Picnic! Picnic! We're all going to a pic—nic!" he sang happily as he went to get ready.

"Man, this is stupid!" Sayora complained.

"Who the hell asked you?" Kyo argued though he agreed with her.

"We might as well get ready…" Yuki suggested as Kyo irritatedly headed upstairs.

Yuki was also about to headed upstairs but noticed that Sayora was heading towards the kitchen.

"Sayora-sa—" Yuki stopped, remembering what Akito said. _Look at Yuki, still calling her Sayora-**san** after all this time. He doesn't do that for anyone **else** in the family, does he?_ "Sayora… you get ready too…"

"Yeah, yeah…" she replied. "I'm just gonna help Tohru a little. Damn dog…" she muttered as she walked towards the kitchen. "He's the one that wants to go on a picnic and he leaves her to do all the work…"

-----Later-----

Everyone was at one of the Souma parks.

"Hey Tohru! Over here!" Momiji called enthusiastically.

"Ah! Momiji-kun, Hatsuharu-san, Hatori-san!" Tohru called back as she waved and ran over to join them.

"I haven't seen Tohru in a loooooong time now!" Momiji whined playfully.

"Yes, it's been a while everyone!" she agreed.

"Yuki, I've missed you…" Haru said as he and the rest of them joined everyone else.

"Haru… you need to stop saying those kinds of things…" Yuki said.

"Oh, where's Kisa-san and Hiro-san?" Tohru asked. "Could they not come?"

"No, they'll come later…" Hatori replied. "And I should warn you before it's too late…"

"Yuuuuuuuuuu-kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" called a familiar voice interrupted him, one that Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora dreaded. "Yuuuuuuuuuuuu-kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

_Why! Why is he here!_ the three of them thought in horror.

"Oh, Ayame-san!" Tohru greeted happily. "I'm so happy you could make it!"

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "For my beloved brother, I would cross the largest body of water to come and meet him!"

_W-wait…_ the three of them thought. _How did he even—_

Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora turned and gave Shigure a death glare.

"W-what?" he asked nervously. "It wasn't me. I swear it wasn't me. Haa-san, tell them I didn't invite him!"

"If it wasn't you, then who else?" Hatori asked. (actually, ayame overheard their conversation over the phone and annoyed hatori into bringing him)

The three closed in on Shigure.

"Haa-san!" he cried.

Hatori sighed.

-----Few Minutes Later-----

Everyone sat down on the blanket, including Shigure who was spared thanks to Tohru who laid the food out.

"Wow! Tohru's cooking is always good!" Momiji said excitedly.

"Oh no, not at all," she denied. "Sayora-san was the one who made most of this."

Sayora's fist connected with Tohru's head lightly.

"Don't give me credit for what you did," she said as she bit into the onigiri. "Got it?"

When Sayora didn't hear a response after a while, she turned to look at Tohru only to sweat drop nervously.

"O-oi! Snap out of it!" Sayora shouted at a knocked out Tohru.

"Honda-san!" Yuki yelled alarmed.

"Hey!" Kyo shook her shoulder.

"Waaaah! Sayo killed Tohru!" Momiji cried.

"No I didn't!" Sayora shouted. "C'mon! I didn't hit you _that_ hard dammit!"

"Yuki! As your older brother, I command you be Tohru-kun's prince and take her up upon your shining horse!" Ayame randomly demanded, earning silence in response to his comment.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Tohru, who had revived after Hatori took a look at her, was eating the sushi that she and Sayora had prepared.

"Sayora-san, you must've made this one," Tohru said. "It tastes really nice!"

Everyone sweat dropped.

"They all taste the same…" Sayora replied, not noticing any difference in _any_ of the sushi.

Her balled up fist headed towards Tohru's head when Kyo suddenly pounced on her hand, making her fall face first into the plate of sushi before her.

"What the hell was that for!" Sayora exploded.

"You were gonna hit her in the head again!" Kyo accused.

"I was gonna _stretch_!" she shouted. "You are _such_ a stupid cat!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know!" Kyo defended himself.

"Hey Tohru, are you done eating?" Momiji asked excitedly. "Let's go play!"

Momiji grabbed Tohru's hand and dragged her to the playground nearby without waiting for a response.

"Hold it you damn brat! She's not done eating!" Kyo shouted after him.

"Leave him alone," Haru said leaning against the tree trunk behind him.

Shigure started to laugh, earning everyone's attention. He continued to laugh even more, drawing Tohru and Momiji back.

"Shi-chan?" Momiji asked looking at Shigure.

"Shigure-san?" Tohru asked, doing the same.

"Shi-Shigure?" Yuki called nervously seeing as how he seemed completely insane to start laughing like that for no reason. "Are you okay?"

"He's friggin insane," Sayora concluded.

"That's nothing new," Kyo said.

Haru just stared at Shigure with no comments.

"Gure-san! Have no fear! I don't think you've gone insane!" Ayame said proudly. "You are just in your happy place! Come into my arms and let me become part of your happy place! Come! Right into my arms!"

Once again, there was no response.

"Ayame…" Hatori said tiredly as he turned to Shigure. "Shigure, your deadline was today, wasn't it?"

"Deadline?" Tohru repeated, clueless as always.

"Whatever do you mean Haa-san?" he asked innocently.

_What a pitiful editor…_ Hatori thought. _She just never learns… _

-----Shigure's House-----

_I have left on a never ending journey. Do not  
__expect me back by this life time._

_Souma Shigure_

"Eh!" Mit exclaimed as she read the note on his front door. "N-no way! Shi-Shigure-sensei, you meanie!"

She banged on the door violently as tears flooded out of her eyes.

"Shigure-sensei!" she cried. "This can't be! Come back Shigure-sensei! SHIGURE-SENSEI!"

-----Souma Park-----

"What's going on? What editor?" Sayora asked.

"What the hell do you mean _what's going on_?" Kyo asked. "Don't you remember that editor woman that comes to the house every time his dumbass deadline is due?"

"Kyo-kun, I don't think Sayora-chan's met Mit-chan yet," Shigure reminded.

"Oh… yeah," Kyo remembered. "I forgot…"

"Stupid cat," Yuki sighed.

"What!" Kyo shouted. "Say that again to my face why don't you!"

"I _did_ say it to your face and I'll be glad to do it again," Yuki replied calmly. "Stupid cat."

"Okay! You're askin for it!" Kyo got up and grabbed Yuki by the shirt.

"The love birds are at it again…" Sayora said to no one in particular.

"Kisa-san and Hiro-san are really running late today, aren't they?" Tohru asked.

"Did they say how late they were going to be?" Haru asked Hatori.

"No," he simply answered.

It soon became quiet, even Yuki and Kyo's arguing, and as hard as it is to believe, Ayame and Momiji. It was such a nice day outside, and it was so relaxing to just sit and enjoy the light breeze. Then suddenly…

LA LALALA LALA LALALALA LA

Everyone freaked at the sound. It was so unexpected and loud that it gave them all a heart attack.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Tohru screamed. "Oh! That's my cell phone!"

"You idiot!" Kyo shouted. "Don't turn the damn volume up so high!"

"Y-yes I'm sorry!" she apologized.

"Where's your phone?" Sayora asked. "I'll get it for you."

"Oh, it's on the table," she answered. "Thank you very much."

"Waaaaa? Tohru has a cell phone?" Momiji asked amazed.

"Oh, yes. Sayora-san got one for me," she replied with a bright smile on her face.

"She did?" Yuki asked.

"It is the power of love Yuki!" Ayame exclaimed. "You must not let Sayora-chan steal Tohru-kun away from you!"

Yuki trembled from anger. Ayame just _had_ to keep saying those stupid things in front of everyone.

"But no one can love Yuki more than me," Haru said.

"Stop saying those kinds of things!" Yuki yelled. "They just don't sound right!"

"But it's true…" he said.

"No! It's not!"

"I always knew the damn mouse was a homo…" Kyo mumbled as he suddenly found his face on the ground.

"Whaaaat!" Momiji asked stunned. "Yuki's into that kind of relationship?"

"No! I'm not!" Yuki shouted. "See what happens when you say those kinds of things Haru!"

"Yuki-kun, please calm down!" Tohru started to panic.

"My, my," Shigure said. "The kids sure are lively today."

"They're not kids anymore Shigure," Hatori replied.

Shigure laughed. "I guess not. They've just grown up so fast, haven't they?"

"Stop trying to sound like their father… it makes you sound like a child molester or something…"

"What! Gure-san is a child molester! If Tori-san says so, it must be true!" Ayame shouted as he ran over to Yuki and gave him a bear hug, completely grossing Yuki out. "Yuki, I cannot allow you to live with Gure-san anymore! After all this time, I failed to realize his true nature! Oh, the thought of him molesting you is just too much for me to bear!"

"Aaya… I'm a novelist, not a molester…" Shigure reminded.

"_You're_ the one who's molesting me!" Yuki yelled as he punched Ayame off of him.

"What!" Sayora shouted in concern as everyone's attention turned to her conversation on the phone. "Kisa! But why! Okay… okay… I'll be right over!"

"What happened?" Hatori asked calmly when Sayora hung up the phone.

"Akito—!" Sayora shouted, but then forced herself to calm down. "… Akito beat Kisa…"

Everyone was shocked to hear the news.

"Is Kisa-san all right!" Tohru immediately asked in concern.

"But why?" Momiji asked. "Kisa didn't do anything, did she?"

"Hiro said… Akito saw them together by accident," Sayora answered, not completely sure why that was any reason for Akito to beat Kisa. Shigure and Hatori knew exactly what was going on.

"It seems… Akito-san found out that those two patched things up…" Shigure said quietly to Hatori as Sayora got up.

"Where're you going?" Hatori asked.

"Where else? The Main House!" she replied as she walked in the direction of the Main House, shocking everyone.

"But, Sayora…" Yuki trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Sayora-chan," Shigure called as he stood up next to her. "What are you trying to prove?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Are you trying to be stronger by marching into the Main House where Akito-san is? I doubt that you're acting before thinking this time…" Shigure continued, angering Sayora.

"I not trying to prove _anything_!" she snapped.

"I know you're just trying to help, but I have reason to believe it's more than that too," he said, everyone listening to their conversation.

"Shut up dammit!" Sayora shouted.

Shigure walked up to Sayora.

"You don't have to feel weak for being afraid of Akito-san," he said to her quietly so no one else would hear. "There's no one here who isn't… besides, if Akito-san finds you at the Main House, he will no doubt lock you up immediately… and more than that, think of what will happen to Hiro-kun and Kisa-chan. It's not worth it Sayora-chan…"

Hatori stared at Shigure's back as he walked over to join the others. Then he looked back at Sayora who seemed to be deep in thought.

_I can't believe Akito-san would do something so terrible…_ Tohru thought worriedly. _And Sayora-san… she's afraid of Akito-san and yet… she didn't have a second thought about going to the Main House to be by Kisa-san's side… Mother… there are such nice people in the Souma family…_

"Now, now, don't be depressed everyone!" Shigure said cheerfully.

"Who the hell's depressed?" Kyo asked, everyone returning to their normal selves.

"Hey Tohru!" Momiji called. "Let's go play on the playground!"

"Oh, yes! Of course!" Tohru replied.

"Aren't you a bit too old for that?" Kyo asked.

"Yuki! Since Tohru-kun will be busy _playing_, come to your beloved Nii-san!" Ayame ordered. "We will sit and watch the sunset together! And we shall talk about our likes and dislikes!"

"I dislike _you_ and would_ like _to keep my distance…" Yuki replied as he backed away from Ayame a bit.

"Then Sayora-chan!" Ayame called.

"N-no thanks… I'll keep my distance too…" she replied nervously.

"Then, I only have one person left to turn to! Gure-san, come! Sit and watch the sunset with me! It'll be an unforgettable moment! The two of us, staring deeply into each other's eyes…" Ayame said romantically.

"Oh Aaya… I would give anything to do that with you…" Shigure replied just as romantically, grossing Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora out as they moved far away from the two of them.

"Haha! Got them!" Shigure and Ayame said at the same time as they gave a thumbs-up to each other.

Hatori sighed putting his hand to his head.

"Yuki… maybe _we_ should watch the sunset together…" Haru suggested.

"Is there _anyone_ normal around here?" Yuki asked tiredly.

"The hell's that supposed to mean!" Kyo and Sayora shouted at the same time.

"Sayo! Sayo! Come play with us!" Momiji called cheerfully, interrupting the beginning of their argument.

"I'm not a little kid you know," she told him as she walked over to join them anyway.

"Push me!" he said as he got on the swing.

Sayora kicked Momiji off the swing.

"Oh! Momiji-kun!" Tohru freaked.

"Waaaaah! Sayo kicked me off the swing!" Momiji cried. "It hurts! Waaaaaaah!"

"You _asked_ me to push you, remember?" Sayora asked as she got on the swing herself.

"Waaaaaaah! Sayo took my swing! Waaaaaaaaah!" he cried some more as he tried to get his swing back.

"Momiji-kun, you can have my swing if you'd like," Tohru kindly offered.

"Okay!"

"No!" Sayora shouted as her fist connected with Momiji's head.

"Sayo hit me again! It really hurts!" he cried again, running to Hatori. "Hari! Hari! Do something! Hari!"

"Shut up already you damn brat!" Kyo shouted at him.

"Leave him alone," Haru said.

"Leave _me_ alone!" Kyo argued.

"Would you stop shouting?" Yuki asked.

"I'm not shouting!" Kyo shouted.

"Sayo's being mean!" Momiji was still whining.

"Dammit Momiji, your crying is really starting to piss me off!" Sayora shouted.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"You dumb brat!"

Sayora lost it. She chased after Momiji as he scurried away from her.

**_All of us right now… we're pretending to smile, to laugh, to play… I wonder why. I'm sure we're all aware of each other's act… I wonder why we're pretending to be okay… to show no sadness… _**

"You stupid kid! We never should've invited you!" Sayora shouted as she punched Momiji on the head.

"Well who's dumb idea was it to have this picnic in the first place?" Kyo asked as he, Yuki, and Sayora turned to Shigure who nervously backed away and suddenly shrunk.

"Haa-san!" he called with tears flooding his eyes.

Hatori sighed yet again.

_Nothing ever changes…_

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 12- Cheer Up Tigger!

Hatori takes Kisa and Hiro to Shigure's house, hoping that in meeting Tohru, Kisa will cheer up and get better. Haru also drops by to check on Kisa. Meanwhile, Shigure writes a short _children's _story for her, in hopes of also cheering Kisa up. But everyone's just wondering… how in the world does a book containing… never mind… but Shigure gets clobbered by Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora after he finishes his reading his story…


	12. Cheer Up Tigger!

**Hopeless Chapter 12- Cheer Up Tigger!**

Tohru was anxiously waiting for Hiro and Kisa's arrival. She had been extremely worried ever since Sayora told everyone what had happened to her. Finally, a knock on the door was heard. Tohru jumped up and rushed to answer it. Everyone else patiently waited in the living room.

"Kisa-san!" Tohru exclaimed as soon as she opened the door.

She hid behind Hatori, worrying Tohru greatly.

"Kisa-san…"

"Kisa, weren't you the one who wanted to come here?" Hatori asked, turning around to look at her.

She slowly moved beside Hatori. Tohru gasped at the sight of her. Both of Kisa's arms where wrapped with bandages, and there were patches of bandages scattered about on her face. Tohru embraced Kisa.

"Kisa-san, are you all right?" Tohru asked worriedly.

After a while, Tohru finally let Kisa go.

"Everyone's really worried about you Kisa-san," she said. "Let's go inside. They're all waiting."

Hiro gently grabbed Kisa's hand but she quickly pulled away and went next to Tohru.

…_Kisa…_ Hiro thought worriedly and sadly.

"Kisa-chan!" Shigure cried as soon as she walked into the living room with the others. "I've been waiting for _so_ long! You have no idea how worried I was!"

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Yuki said with a smile.

Sayora noticed that Kisa was feeling a bit uncomfortable with everyone crowding around her.

"Hey! Give her some space! You're gonna suffocate her to death," Sayora said.

Shigure laughed. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized. "We're just glad to see you here."

Everyone came in and sat down in the living room.

"Kisa-san, are you hungry?" Tohru asked with a smile. "What would you like to eat?"

She didn't answer.

"She likes omelets and leeks…" Hiro mumbled.

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll go make it right now, alright?" Tohru asked again receiving no reply from Kisa, but from Kyo instead.

"What!" Kyo exclaimed. "I hate leeks! Make something else!"

Sayora and Yuki glared down at Kyo.

"Say that again," they both threatened. "Are you trying to make Kisa starve to death?"

"L-leeks are great…" Kyo replied with a sweat drop. "They're… my favorite… too…"

"I knew you loved them!" Sayora said.

"To hell I do!" Kyo shouted.

"What the hell is your problem!" Sayora yelled.

"Kisa, you should talk," Hatori said, ignoring Kyo and Sayora's argument. "Are you going to withdraw like last time?"

She still wouldn't talk. Yuki became worried as Kyo and Sayora's arguing subsided.

"I know!" Shigure said. "I'll write you a story! Would you like that Kisa-chan! Would you like Shigure ojii-chan to write you a story?"

Kisa remained silent.

"Okay then! I will!" Shigure went upstairs into his room to start writing. "Call me down when Tohru-kun finishes making lunch!"

"Kisa... um…" Hiro pulled out a DVD and moved over next to Kisa. "Do you want to watch that new anime with—Kisa!"

She got up and ran into the kitchen where Tohru was.

"Eh? Kisa-san?" they heard Tohru. "What is it? Are you hungry? I'll be done in a little while, so wait just a little bit, okay?"

Hiro's hand which gripped the DVD tightly started to tremble.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Kyo accused.

"Nothing!" he shouted back at him.

"You spoiled little brat!" Kyo shouted, losing his temper.

"Calm down!" Sayora held him back.

Another knock on the door was heard, interrupting them.

"I'll get that," Sayora said. "Hatori, make sure they don't kill each other for a moment."

Sayora got up and walked to the door and opened it.

"Haru?" Sayora said, a bit surprised. "Did you get lost and wonder over here?"

"I heard that Kisa was here…" he replied, ignoring her comment.

"Yeah," she said, letting Haru in as they went to the living room.

Haru looked around.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"You mean Kisa? She's in the kitchen with Honda-san," Yuki answered.

"And what about Shigure-sensei?" Haru asked again.

"He's upstairs writing a book for Kisa… I think," Yuki replied.

"So Hatori… how is she?"

"She going to be fine," he said. "But she's not talking…"

"Again…?"

"Kisa will be fine," Sayora assured, making Hiro flinch in anger though no one noticed. "So anyway, how're things between you and Yuki? You guys get together yet? Ahh!"

Yuki punched her halfway across the room

"Don't give him any ideas!" Yuki said with a vein popping out of his head.

"I'm not fixing any broken bones," Hatori warned beforehand.

"That hurt dammit!" Sayora shouted at Yuki. "You wanna fight or something!"

She aimed a punch at Yuki, but right before her fist could connect with his face, it stopped.

"Kyo, did you just say that she was so weak, you could even beat her in your cat form?" Yuki asked.

"What! When the hell did I say that!" Kyo asked.

Sayora turned around, her eyes flaring at Kyo.

"O-oh c'mon! You don't seriously believe the damn rat, do you!" he asked.

"Kyo! If you wanted to pick a fight with me, then you should've said so!" Sayora said as he punched Kyo in the face.

"What the hell is your problem!" Kyo shouted, getting into a fighting stance. "You're such an asshole you damn mouse!"

"You're dead you stupid cat!" Sayora shouted.

"That's it! You're goin down!"

They both charged at each other, ready to beat the other up.

"Will you both shut up?" Haru asked, everyone noticing the change of his usual calm and carefree voice to an annoyed one.

"We're trying to fight dammit!" Kyo shouted at him.

"Shut up you fat cow!" Sayora yelled.

"Why don't you both save us the trouble of having to deal with Black Haru?" Yuki asked.

"Who're you callin a fat cow!" Haru asked, already picking a fight with the two of them.

"I don't believe them," Yuki sighed.

Hiro looked at Sayora, his fist clenched in anger.

"Lunch is ready everyone!" Tohru announced as she and Kisa came out with the food only to find Kyo, Sayora, and Haru wiped out. Hatori was half watching the random show on the television as was Yuki. Hiro was just sitting there silently. "I-I'll go get Shigure-san," she said after she set the food down.

Tohru headed upstairs with Kisa following her. Kyo got up and plopped himself down at his usual spot in front of the lunch that was laid out and started to eat.

"Kyo, have some manners!" Yuki scolded. "Wait for Honda-san and Shigure!"

"I'm hungry dammit!" Kyo shouted impatiently.

"So is everyone else!" Sayora pointed out.

"No you're not!" Kyo shouted again.

"How the hell would you know!" she asked angrily.

"Because you're not eating!"

"It's something called manners! You obviously don't have any!"

"Shut up! This was all your dumb fault you damn mouse!"

"How is it _my_ fault?" Yuki asked calmly. "I only told you to wait for Honda-san and Shigure."

"I don't know! It just is!" Kyo shouted.

"What the hell kinda excuse is that!" Sayora shouted at him.

"**Quiet!**" Hatori ordered sternly as the three of them turned to see his ticked off face.

They all sweat dropped and went silent. Soon, Tohru came down with Kisa and Shigure to find it completely quiet except for the television.

"Let's eat everyone!" she said happily as they all sat in front of the table.

"Kisa-chan!" Shigure called. "I've finished the story! I'll read it to you after we finish eating, okay?"

Kyo was the first to dig into the food.

_Pig!_ Yuki and Sayora thought.

Suddenly, Kyo started gagging and spit out the food. Everyone sweat dropped.

"Eeeeeeeww! Kyo-kun spit out his food!" Shigure exclaimed.

"That's so friggin disgusting you damn cat!" Sayora shouted at him. "Keep your food in your mouth!"

"I don't like leeks dammit!" Kyo shouted back.

"Since when!"

"Since always!"

"Then why did you eat it in the first place you dumb cat?" Yuki asked.

"Because I forgot!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Tohru apologized. "I forgot that you don't like leeks Kyo-kun! I'll go make something else if you'd like!"

Yuki, Sayora, and Hatori glared at Kyo.

"N-no… it's fine… leeks are fine…" Kyo replied as he apparently forced himself to swallow a spoonful omelets and leeks.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Everyone was finished eating. Sayora had gone into the kitchen to help put away some of the dishes. Kyo and Yuki were arguing again. Hatori and Haru were just sitting there as was Hiro. Shigure went upstairs to get his story.

"Did you like it Kisa-san?" Tohru asked with a smile.

Kisa nodded, a worried expression appearing on Tohru's face once again.

"I'm glad to hear that!" she said, forcing another smile on her face. "I'll be right back Kisa-san! I'm going to put away the rest of these plates."

She nodded again as Tohru went into the kitchen.

"Are you going to stay silent again?" Haru suddenly asked. "You're pathetic. You have orange hair. You're such a freak."

Everyone looked at Haru. Hiro was furious. He spun around and opened his mouth to shout at Haru for saying such things to Kisa, but Hatori was the first to say something.

"Haru, that's enough," the doctor told him.

"What's wrong Kisa?" Haru asked, ignoring everyone. "Why don't you defend yourself? Why don't you cry or something? We can't understand you if you don't speak."

She only looked down.

"Haru-nii!" Hiro shouted as he turned to Kisa. "Kisa! Wait!"

She got up and turned around to run to Tohru only to bump into Shigure instead.

"Huh? Where are you going Kisa-chan?" Shigure asked with a smile. "Shigure ojii-chan is going to read his book to you. Wait a while, okay?"

"Oh, Shigure-san, you're back," Tohru said as she and Sayora walked out of the kitchen, Kisa running to Tohru.

Hiro got up and walked toward the backdoor.

"Hiro-kun?" Shigure asked. "Where're you going? Aren't you going to stay and listen to me read the story?"

"I need some fresh air!" he replied, suppressing his anger as he slammed the door shut.

"I hope Hiro-san is all right…" Tohru said as Sayora got up.

"Sayora, where're you going?" Yuki asked.

"I'm gonna go check on Hiro," she said as she walked out the back door.

"Come back soon," Shigure replied.

"Oh wait!" Tohru called as she got up. "I'll go with—"

Shigure gently grabbed her hand to stop her from following Sayora.

"Sayora-chan will be fine," he assured. "I'm sure that whatever Hiro-kun seems upset about, Sayora-chan will be able to handle by herself."

Tohru gave in.

-----Sayora and Hiro-----

"Hiro," Sayora called. "What's wrong? If you're worried about Kisa, she'll be fine."

He didn't reply to her.

"Oh c'mon," she said. "Don't go Kisa on me. If you don't talk too, then—"

"Again… I couldn't protect her _again_!" he yelled frustrated with himself. "Why can't I… be someone who can protect Kisa! Why do I have to be so useless! Why!"

"You only have yourself to blame," Sayora said. "If you want to protect something important to you, then protect it. If something's really that important to you, then don't hesitate to make a difference… but then again, you're only a little kid after all, no matter how mature you try to act…"

"What about you! Why didn't you come!" Hiro shouted at her. "Kisa waited for you! She waited all night saying _'Sayora nee-chan will come…'_ So why didn't you come! Why weren't you by her side like you said you would be!"

Sayora was the one who was quiet this time. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again. Hiro started trembling.

"I was… well…" Sayora said, not sure what to tell the little boy.

"And here Kisa is, right in front of you… and you're ignoring her!" he continued to shout at her in anger. "You don't care about her at all! You're too busy playing around with Haru-nii and the others! You don't care about Kisa at all! How selfish can you get!"

"That's not true…" she replied quietly.

"You don't even _try_ to understand anyone else! All you want is people to understand _you_!"

Sayora was taken back by what Hiro said. Did it really seem that way to everyone? Did it really seem like she wasn't trying to understand anyone?

Suddenly, the back door opened.

"Heeeeeeey! Are you guys going to come in yet?" Shigure pretended to whine. "Kisa-chan and the others are getting tired of waiting!"

"Oh, yeah…" Sayora replied. "Hiro, let's go back in."

-----Few Moments Later-----

Once everyone was settled down, Shigure opened his book and began to read.

_One nice spring morning, Tohru-kun entered Haa-san's room to see him drooling in his sleep._

Hatori twitched.

_Kyo-kun was laughing and playing with Yuki-kun and Sayora-chan._

The three of them twitched.

_Shigure-san was waiting for his wife Tohru-kun to come downstairs with Haa-san. Meanwhile, Haa-kun, Hiro-kun, and Kisa-chan were expected to arrive shortly. The peace and quiet was quickly disturbed when Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun started fighting over Sayora-chan._

"_Sayora's virginity will be taken by **me**!" Yuki-kun shouted. _

"_Not if I can help it! Her virginity will be lost to me!" Kyo-kun argued._

Everyone stared at Shigure with a huge sweat drop. Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora had a few veins popping out here and there.

"Shigure… is this really appropriate?" Hatori asked.

_Their argument was quickly interrupted when there was a knock on the door, indicating that Haa-kun and the others had arrived,"_ Shigure continued, ignoring the response from the others.

_Sayora-chan went to answer the door. Meanwhile, in the living room, Kyo-kun and Yuki-kun were doing the exact opposite of arguing. _

"_Oh Kyo… now that Sayora is gone, why don't we confess our true feelings for each other?" Yuki-kun asked. _

"_Indeed my beloved Yuki," Kyo-kun replied as they leaned in close to each other. "I think we've misunderstood each other…"_

_Sadly, their romantic moment was ruined when Tohru-kun entered the living room with Haa-san. Tohru-kun started coughing. _

Kyo and Yuki were trembling with anger. _Thank god!_ they both thought.

"_Oh my, are you sick Tohru-kun, my beloved wife?" Shigure asked. "Haa-san, would you mind checking on poor Tohru-kun?"_

Everyone was getting a bad feeling about what was coming up next, _especially _Hatori…

"_Oh… I would **love** to do that…" Haa-san said, his eyes playfully eyeing Tohru-kun. When he noticed that Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun as well as Tohru-kun's husband was watching them, he cleared his throat and forced his expression to return to his normal freaky apathetic one._

A vein literally popped out of Hatori's head… a _large_ one…

"_Please remove your shirt Honda-kun," Haa-san instructed. "In order to check your breasts, I mean, in order to do my best, I must be able to see your breast. I mean, I must be able to…" Haa-san trailed off. "Never mind. Just take in a deep breath…"_

A second very large vein popped up on Hatori's head.

_Tohru-kun did as Haa-san instructed when Haa-kun, Hiro-kun, and Kisa-chan came into the living room along with Sayora-chan. Haa-kun went to Yuki-kun and stared at him._

"_Yuki, let's go out…" Haa-kun said. "If you don't, I'll steal Sayora's virginity from you."_

"_Oh no!" Yuki-kun cried like a girl. "You can't do that! I'll go out with you Haru!"_

_Yuki-kun lunged happily into Haa-kun's arms._

"Sh…Shigure…" Sayora managed to say without lunging at Shigure with a knife. "If you say _one_ more thing about me and my virginity…"

"I don't want another thing said about Haru and me…" Yuki said, also holding back the urge to kill Shigure at that very moment, punching Kyo instead who looked like he was about to burst out laughing. "And if I _cry like a girl_ in any other part of your story…"

Haru was the only one who didn't say anything, but even _he_ thought that it was too creepy.

"Shigure, this isn't appropriate for children," Hatori said.

"Um…" was all Tohru managed to say.

_Kisa-chan and Hiro-kun looked at them in admiration. _

"_Oh Kisa," Hiro-kun said romantically as he leaned in closer to Kisa-chan. _

_Kisa-chan backed away a bit. "Hiro-chan," she said. "I don't think I'm ready for this."_

"_Oh yes we are," Hiro-kun said as he kissed her. _

Hiro was blushing furiously while having veins and sweat drops popping up everywhere.

"Wh-what kind of story is this!" he asked, still blushing. "I don't want to hear this kind of story! It's all wrong!"

"Hey, wait a minute, does that mean that Haru and Yuki are… KISSING!" Sayora asked in shock. "What the hell is wrong with you Shigure!"

"Why do you think _that_!" Yuki asked with a huge sweat drop.

"They looked at you and Haru in _admiration_!" she explained. "And then they _kissed_!"

Yuki visibly paled at the thought. "Sh-Shigure!"

_Shigure walked looked toward his beloved wife Tohru-kun to see her making out with Haa-san! Oh, how it broke Shigure's heart! His very bestest bestest bestest friend in the whole wide universe was taking his love away! Oh, the heart break for Shigure to find out that Haa-san was such a loser—_

"Shigure…" Hatori interrupted, a few more large veins popping up all over his head while Tohru was nervously trying to calm down. "Another word about that and I'll tell everyone here about what kinds of relationships you've had with women since you were five."

_Meanwhile…_ Shigure continued with his story, skipping the other parts with Hatori in them, _Sayora-chan and Kyo-kun were staring deeply into each other's eyes._

"Hey!" Kyo warned before Shigure could read any further. "Don't even think about anything funny!"

"Unless you want an early retirement, don't even think about it!" Sayora threatened.

"_Hey," Kyo-kun said to Sayora-chan. "You… you're really a **guy**, aren't you?"_

_Sayora-chan was shocked. Someone had found her out! She blushed._

"_How in the world did you know Kyo-kun?" Sayora-chan wondered. _

"_I saw you in the shower…" Kyo-kun replied, staring deeply into her eyes. _

"_I hope you're a homo Kyo," Sayora-chan said as she leaned in very closely to Kyo-kun._

"One more word…" Sayora began to threaten again as she and Kyo both resisted the very strong urge to run their fists into Shigure's face.

_They stuck out their tongues and violently----_"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Kyo and Sayora as well as Yuki pounded Shigure angrily.

"What the hell kinda story is that!" Kyo shouted.

"Have mercy!" Shigure begged.

"Never!" Yuki shouted as his fist connected with Shigure's head again.

"I was doing it for Sa-chan! Sa-chan I tell you!" he assured.

"Kisa my ass! Nobody's sick enough to want to hear _that_ kind of story let alone think it up and write it!" Sayora shouted, strangling Shigure.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Shigure was officially almost dead. Tohru was panicking about his condition.

"Haa-san…" Shigure called, reaching his hand out to Hatori.

"No," Hatori replied before he could finish. "You deserved that."

"Haa-san!" he cried desperately, immediately shutting up when Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora turned their heads to glare at him.

Hiro looked at Kisa to see her smiling a bit and stared at Sayora angrily as he got up and stomped out of the living room.

"Hiro-san, where are you going?" Tohru asked.

"What do you care? Stupid woman!" he snapped as he continued to stomp off.

"Why you little!" Kyo growled.

"No Kyo-kun! It's fine!" Tohru assured. "It's almost dinner time. I better start cooking. Kisa-san, would you like more omelets and leeks?"

"No!" Kyo shouted right away.

"I vote for omelets and leeks. My vote counts ten times. Majority rules. I win. We're having omelets and leeks," Sayora said.

"What the hell! What kinda majority is _that_!" he asked.

"Shut it!" she ordered.

"Why you—!"

"Omelets and leeks are fine Honda-san," Yuki said, his fist hitting Kyo's head.

"O-okay…" Tohru replied nervously as she walked to the kitchen with Kisa following her.

"Kisa," Sayora called as Kisa turned around. "Can you give me a minute?"

After a while, Kisa nodded as Sayora got up and walked out of the living room with her.

"It seems that Kisa-chan still won't speak…" Shigure said after the two of them exited the room. "She's not going to end up like last time, is she?"

"She might," Hatori replied.

"I don't think she will," Haru said as Shigure and Hatori turned to look at him. "Sayora won't let her…"

"You seem to be very confident in Sayora-chan, Haa-kun," Shigure replied. "But you _do_ know that she has her own troubles to deal with…"

Hatsuharu didn't reply.

"Hey," came Hiro's voice from the door. "Where's Kisa?"

-----In Sayora's Room-----

"Do you like it?" Sayora asked with a smile on her face.

Kisa nodded happily, hugging the teddy bear that Sayora gave her tightly.

"Thought you would," she replied as she sat down next to her. "Kisa, I'm sorry for the other day. I told you I'd come but I didn't."

Kisa shook her head, telling her that it was okay. After a little while of silence, Sayora spoke up.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked as Kisa looked up. Sayora took that as a _yes_. "Are you angry at Hiro?"

Kisa was shocked at the question. She quickly shook her head _no_.

-----Hiro-----

Hiro walked up the stairs toward Sayora's room. He didn't really know why he even bothered. After all, Kisa would've probably tried to get away from him again.

"You've been avoiding him all day," he heard Sayora's voice as he stopped by the door and peeked in. "Did something happen between you two?"

Kisa didn't reply.

"Everyone's really worried about you, you know… especially Hiro," she said. "He really cares about you, and he wants to protect you. You know that, right? He stayed with you all night long when no one else was with you."

She still didn't reply.

"Do you not appreciate what Hiro's doing?"

There was no response.

"That's not it, is it? You're scared, aren't you? To be with him that is?"

Kisa looked up.

"Talk to me Kisa…" Sayora said quietly as she pulled Kisa into a protective hug. "Tell me… tell me why you're scared… tell me things that make you feel uncomfortable… let me be there for you Kisa… I need you to talk so I can understand you more…"

Kisa started to cry.

"…I was scared…" Kisa finally said through her quiet crying and sobbing. "I was scared for Hiro-chan…"

-----Few Moments Later-----

Sayora had gone downstairs a while ago, giving Kisa and Hiro some alone time. It had been about twenty minutes now. Hiro was walking back to the living room with Kisa. She was finally talking to him again.

"Hiro-chan, um…" Kisa trailed off.

"What is it?" Hiro asked.

"You brought an anime over, right?" she asked. "Do you… do you still want to watch it with me?"

"Huh? _That_ anime? It's so stu—" he cut himself off. "I mean, yeah… let's watch it together…"

"What the hell is your problem you stupid wo—" the two of them heard Kyo shout as they looked up to see Kyo's face smashed through the paper sliding door.

"Oh, Hiro, Kisa, yo," Sayora greeted, ignoring Kyo completely now.

"Can you two be any louder?" Hiro asked, his cocky attitude returning. "If _I _was your neighbor, I would've called the cops on you guys already."

"Shut up you dumb brat!" Kyo shouted, already recovered.

"At least I'm not getting beat up by a girl," he remarked.

"Why you!" Kyo growled as he grabbed Hiro by his shirt.

"Oh! Hiro-chan!" Kisa called, seeing him getting punched by Kyo on the head. She relaxed and watched Hiro with a smile.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Sayora defended as she plucked Hiro from Kyo's hand and let him go.

"Man that brat's annoying!" Kyo complained.

Hiro fumed and was about to throw another insult at Kyo, but Kisa prevented him from doing so.

"Hiro-chan, let's watch the anime," she said.

He gave in on getting back at Kyo and agreed.

"I'll go get it!" Kisa replied happily and excitedly as she ran back upstairs to Sayora's room where Hiro had last left it.

Hiro watched her run off. Suddenly, he felt someone's hand on his head as he looked up to find Sayora.

"Looks like everything's okay now," she said.

"Yeah…" he replied, blushing slightly at his how naïve and immature he was when he was shouting at Sayora earlier that day. Hiro had heard everything Kisa and Sayora said in the room.

_"I was scared for Hiro-chan..."_

"_So you started avoiding him?" Sayora asked in a gentle voice._

"_I was scared that'd he see us together…" Kisa said through her sobbing. "I didn't want him to hurt Hiro-chan…"_

"_But Hiro doesn't him to hurt you either," she replied in the same gentle voice she had been using. "He doesn't want **anyone** to hurt you."_

"_I know but…" Kisa trailed off. _

"_**You're** the one hurting Hiro."_

_Kisa looked up at her, surprised at what Sayora told her. _

"_Hiro thinks it's all his fault," Sayora continued. "This is the second time that he was unable to protect you. He feels really bad for that, so he's trying to make up for it by protecting you **now**. The least you could do is let him… give him a chance and let him become a person who you can rely on and make you happy. That's what he wants… that's not asking for too much, is it? Let him protect you, and in return, you can protect him too, can't you?"_

Kisa had come down with the anime. Sayora was looking at the box.

"What the hell kinda anime is _this_? It looks really stupid," she said as she read the description on the back of the DVD box. "It _is_ really stupid… look at the stupid episode titles. _When Carrots Take Over, And the Enemy is… Broccoli, Soup vs. The Invincible Toilet! _Geez, the things that grade school kids are into these days… you don't _seriously_ watch this _kiddish_ junk, do you Hiro? I'd figure you'd be too mature or something…"

"Shut up!" Hiro shouted as he reached for the DVD in Sayora's hand.

"Oh! Hiro-chan! Be careful!" Kisa warned when he tripped and almost fell.

Shigure and the others were watching them, Kisa with a happy smile on her face again.

"Simply amazing," Shigure said as Yuki, Kyo, Haru, and Hatori continued to watch Sayora and the other two. "Sayora-chan truly is a person you can rely on."

"I wonder what she said to Kisa… to make her able to talk and laugh like that…" Yuki said.

"Be careful Haa-san, she might be a better doctor than _you_ even." Shigure joked.

"She might," Hatori replied.

"Sayora isn't the type of person who will let people down," Haru said.

"That's true Haa-kun…" Shigure replied. "But she _is_ the type of person who takes everything into her own hands. She thinks that she has to shoulder everything… if she tries too hard, she may end up letting everyone down without knowing it… especially herself."

Kyo was glancing at Shigure as he said that.

"Dinner's ready!" Tohru announced cheerfully as she came in with the omelets and leeks and set it on the table. Everyone gathered together. "Let's eat Kisa-san!"

"Onee-chan," Kisa called as a huge smile grew on Tohru's face. She too, had thought that Kisa would've stopped talking again. "Hiro-chan and I want to watch this anime. Um… will you watch it with us too?"

"Oh! Of course!"

"Not!" Kyo shouted as everyone looked over. "Dammit! Was omelets and leeks the _only_ thing you made!"

"Oh! I-I-I-I-I'm so sorry! I thought that you wouldn't mind just one more meal!" she apologized nervously.

"Of course I had to say that! Look at those two!" Kyo shouted, pointing to Yuki and Sayora whose eyes were flaring at him.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"You better b—"

"Ahhhhh! Kyo-kun!" Tohru panicked.

Yuki and Sayora each stuffed a piece of leek in Kyo's mouth. Hatori sweat dropped as Kyo withered to the floor looking half dead.

"Please ignore him Honda-san," Yuki replied calmly as he took a seat.

"Come Kyo-kun!" Shigure chirped as he hopped on Kyo's back and _then_ took his seat next to Hatori.

Kyo laid there motionlessly on the ground.

"Would you mind dying somewhere else?" Hiro asked. "I don't like eating with ugly dead people."

"Just eat Hiro," Sayora said.

"Why you…" Kyo growled, suddenly back on his feet again.

"Hurry and eat Kisa-chan!" Shigure said. "If you don't, Kyo-kun will stuff his face like a **big fat pig**!"

"**_I HATE LEEKS!"_**

A rice bowl smashed into Shigure's head as he fell over to the side. The rice that was inside the bowl scattered everywhere.

"Kyo… you **stupid** cat!" Sayora shouted as she threw her rice bowl at Kyo who smacked it aside, making it land on Haru's face instead.

"Would you two behave!" Hiro asked. "How immature can you get?"

"My house! My house!" Shigure panicked, seeing as how the floor was already nearly covered with rice.

"For once Shigure, I feel sorry for you," Hatori said.

"Ah! Kisa! Watch out!" Hiro warned as a plate hit her in the face.

Kisa held her face.

"Oh my god! Kisa!" he freaked out.

"Kisa-san! Are you alri—!"

Another plate flew into Tohru's face this time.

"Kyo! Sayora! That's going too far!" Yuki shouted as he got to his feet. Neither of them heard Yuki. They were too busy throwing things at each other. A vein popped out of Yuki's head as he stuffed Kyo's head into the omelets and leeks. Tohru paled.

"…Yuki-kun, that was our dinner…" Shigure reminded as Kyo managed to get the plate off of his face and accidentally threw it aside at Haru's head.

"We're in the middle of a fight dammit!" Sayora shouted as she threw a book that Yuki dodged, letting it fly into Haru's face.

"Would all of you **get a room**!" Hiro shouted.

"Get back here you goddamn wolf!" Kyo ordered as he threw a punch at Sayora. She jumped back as Kyo's fist connected with something else. Right at that moment, time seemed to have magnificently slowed down. Sayora's mouth dropped open. Kyo turned his head slightly and looked out of the corner of his eye to see what he had hit. Yuki's eyes widened nervously. Hiro looked anxiously. Kisa looked worried as did Tohru. Hatori was just watching.

"N—n—n—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—!" Shigure screamed, knowing that there was no saving his house from destruction.

Time had returned to normal. Haru slowly got to his feet.

"You all…" he said, seeming pretty calm. "You all want to pick a fight with me! I'll take all three of you at once! Wahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

What seemed like hundreds of plates immediately started flying through the air as Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora ran away from Black Haru. The plates ripped through Shigure's screen doors and made dents in his walls as well as destroy the television and other such things he had around.

"Kyo you **STUPID CAT!**" Yuki and Sayora shouted.

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 13- Wild Monkey on the Loose

Shigure and the others go to the Souma hot springs for a little relaxation for the weekend. When they return home, they find that Ritsu who has come to visit Sayora after learning that she too, was staying at Shigure's house. However, Sayora doesn't recognize Ritsu in his little get up, causing him to go on an apologizing rampage…

You people need to review review review review review review review review! I'm not updating until I get REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS! SO REVIEW!


	13. Wild Monkey on the Loose

**dna- **surprisingly, this was a difficult chapter to write... but it did turn out a lot longer than i thought it would. srry it took so long. oh, this is important... **i did not post chapter 12 up. a certain friend did that, so i did not write the authors note at the end saying that i wont update unless you review. **ok, just needed to clear that up. ill always update regaurdless of the number of reviews i get, _but... _it _is_ nice to get reviews, so if u have the time or feel like it, try to leave one. if u dont want to, then dont. im just saying that i appreciate them a lot. anyway, enjoy!

oh! i have a bleach story up if anyones interested. check it out if u want.

**Hopeless Chapter 13- Wild Monkey on the Loose**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yuki asked Shigure as they arrived at the Souma hot springs. "I'd understand if this weren't a regular two day weekend, but it is… we still have school and homework to do…"

"Don't worry Yuki-kun!" Shigure assured as the four of them walked into to the entrance. "Besides, Sayora-chan still hasn't been here yet. Isn't that right?"

"Oh, is that so?" Tohru asked.

"Yea—"

"OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY!" someone suddenly shouted, scaring Sayora to death while blasting everyone's ears out. "I've made you wait! I'm so terribly sorry! I should be punished for doing such a horrible thing! OH SHIGURE-BOCCHAN! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN SUCH A LONG TIME! I'M SORRY! I SHOULD'VE VISITED YOU! I HAD ALL THAT FREE TIME AND I WASN'T EVEN CONSIDERATE ENOUGH TO PAY YOU A LITTLE VISIT!"

"It's okay, it's okay," Shigure assured.

"O-Okami-san, it's been a while," Tohru greeted.

"Would you stop shouting like that all the time?" Kyo complained as Okami suddenly appeared in front of him.

"I'M SO SORRY! I'LL STOP SHOUTING! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! I SHOULD NEVER SPEAK AGAIN IN MY LIFE! I'M ONLY BEING NOISY AND LOUD AND I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING RIGHT! I'M SORRY! I'M STILL SHOUTING! I'LL STOP SHOUTING!"

_You're **still** shouting!_ Yuki and Kyo thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must've scared you," Okami said to Sayora with a nervous smile. "I'M SORRY I SCARED YOU! I SHOULD BE PUT TO DEATH FOR A CRIME SO HORRENDOUS AND TERRIBLE! I'M SO SORRY!"

Sayora sweat dropped. "N-no… it's okay," she assured. _You're **too **sorry… just stop shouting…_

"I'm terribly sorry. This happens all the time," Okami replied nervously. "By the way, what would your name be?"

"Sayora…" she answered.

"I see," Okami said. "You must be the wolf. Shigure-bocchan has told me about you."

"Uh…really…" Sayora replied, trailing off.

"Let me show you to your rooms now."

The five of them followed Okami into the inn.

"Here we are," she informed as she opened the door.

"Ah! You're here!" Momiji cried happily.

"Momiji-kun!" Tohru replied as he ran to hug her only to get punch on the head by Kyo.

"What the hell're you doing here you damn brat!" he shouted.

"This was all Momiji's plan, wasn't it?" Yuki asked Shigure.

"Yup," he replied as the two of them joined the others. "Momiji-kun wanted Sayora-chan to take a little break, so he invited us all."

"Sayo! Help me!" Momiji cried as he ran to hide behind her. "Kyo's picking on me!"

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE PICKING ON HIM KYO-CHAN! YOU'VE GROWN INTO SUCH A MEAN AND INDECENT BOY! YOU SHOULD APOLOGIZE TO POOR MOMIJI-CHAN RIGHT NOW!" Okami scolded, scaring everyone except for Shigure and Momiji.

"Okay! Okay!" Kyo quickly said before she could shout anymore. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"YOU SHOULD BE MORE SINCERE THAN THAT KYO-CHAN! YOU HAVE TO MEAN IT FROM YOUR HEART LIKE I DO WHEN I APOLOGIZE! IT HAS TO BE SWEET AND MOVING AND HEARTWARMING LIKE THIS!" Okami got up in Kyo's face even more than she already was. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Kyo shouted like Okami. "JUST GET OUT OF MY DAMN FACE AND STOP SHOUTING ALREADY!"

"YES! I'M SORRY! I APOLOGIZE TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAD TO LOOK AT THIS INDECENT FACE! I APOLOGIZE TO THE WHOLE WORLD FOR HAVING TO HEAR THIS INDECENT VOICE! I APOLOGIZE TO THE WHOLE WORLD FOR HAVING TO TOLERATE THIS INDECENT BEING!"

-----Few Moments Later-----

"Please enjoy your stay here," Okami said as she exited the room.

"Goddamn it…" Kyo trailed off, then started shouting. "Why the hell do I have to share a room with _you_!"

"Would you prefer sleeping outside?" Yuki asked.

"I'd prefer that over getting mugged by you in my sleep!" Kyo shouted as he was instantly knocked to the floor.

"Well Kyo-kun, think of it this way," Shigure stepped in. "Would you prefer sharing a room with Momiji-kun and I?"

"Definitely no!" Kyo snapped.

"Then what about Sayora-chan and Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked.

Kyo accidentally paused a split second before shouting back, "Hell no!"

"Waaaaaaah! Kyo paused! Kyo paused!" Momiji cried. "He wants to sleep with Tohru and Sayo!"

"I do not!" he defended.

"Kyo-kun, you're such a naughty boy, isn't he Momiji-kun?" Shigure asked.

"Really really naughty!" Momiji agreed. "Hey! I have an idea! Kyo can share a room with Shi-chan and Sayo can share with Yuki! Tohru and I can share! Can't we Tohru?"

"Of course—"

"Not a chance in hell!" Kyo shouted, cutting her off.

Yuki sighed. "Momiji," he said softly and gently while holding Momiji's face in his hand, tilting his head up so that he was looking into his sparkling eyes. "Remember what I said last time? We're not here to cause trouble for Honda-san and Sayora."

Momiji nodded, lost in Yuki's eyes. Suddenly, a hand lifted Yuki's face. It was Sayora. She tilted his head up so that _he_ was gazing into her dazzling eyes. "You're scaring me Yuki-_hime_," she said, using the same kind of voice that he had used with Momiji. "If you keep acting this girly, I will seriously burst out laughing."

Sayora flew into the wall on the other side of the room in less than a second while Kyo was laughing at what Sayora had said to Yuki.

"My, my Yuki-hime," Shigure teased. "A princess shouldn't be so rough."

"Sayo! Tohru! Let's go into the hot springs together!" Momiji chirped before Yuki got the chance to beat up Shigure.

"Yes! Let's go into the hot springs together!" Tohru chirped after him.

"Are you frickin retarded you bratty rabbit!" Sayora shouted. "Don't you see there's a gender difference between me and you!"

"But… but…" Momiji replied sadly.

"_I_ sure as hell don't see a gender difference…" Kyo muttered.

"And _you_ think _I_ see a gender difference between you and me!" Sayora asked between her teeth.

"Well if you're a guy in the first place, then there _is_ no gender difference you stupid wolf!" Kyo shouted.

"Fine! Then do you think _I_ see the gender difference between Yuki and me!" she shouted back.

"H-hey…" Yuki twitched.

"This is quite interesting Yuki-kun," Shigure said.

"For _you_," he replied. "You're not involved."

"Did I _say_ there was a gender difference between you two!" Kyo asked. "The damn rat is more girly than _you_ are!"

A vein popped out of Yuki's head.

"Ha! So you admit that you're a girl!" Sayora yelled victoriously.

"When the hell did _I_ do that!" Kyo shouted.

"You said you didn't see a gender difference between me and Momiji!"

"So!"

"That would make me a guy! And then you said that you don't see a gender difference between me and you! And then you said that Yuki was more girly than me! So that would make me a girl again! And if _you're_ the same gender _I_ am, that would make _you_ a girl too!"

"Are you a dumbass or what!" Kyo shouted. "You're just a girly guy and I'm just a manly man! Just because someone acts like a girl doesn't mean they _are_ a girl!"

"But Yuki _is_ a girl!"

Two more veins popped up on Yuki's head. Before he got the chance to beat the two of them up, Shigure interrupted.

"Eh? Does anyone know where Tohru-kun and Momiji-kun are?" he asked as he looked around.

The other three look up to notice that they were gone.

"But… Honda-san was there just a min—" Yuki cut himself off. Sayora, Kyo, and Yuki's eyes all flared at once.

_The hot springs!_ they all thought. No more than a second later, the three of them raced down the hall.

-----Tohru and Momiji-----

"Tohru! Tohru! Are you ready?" Momiji asked excitedly, already wrapped in his towel.

"Yes, I'm ready!" Tohru answered as she stepped in, wrapped in her towel as well.

"Let's go into the hot springs!"

Before Tohru got to reply, the sliding door flew off the wall. The two of them turned to see a paranoid Yuki, Sayora, and Kyo who had kicked down the door. A sly grin appeared on Momiji's face.

"Ha! I knew Yuki and Kyo couldn't resist the chance to take a bath with Tohru!" Momiji accused.

"Whatever!" Kyo shouted. "You're not a damn kid anymore you brat!"

_Stop contradicting!_ Yuki and Sayora thought.

"And you! Stop listening to everything he says!" Kyo shouted at Tohru who was completely confused.

"Sayo, I didn't know _you_ wanted see Tohru too," Momiji said with the same sly smile, not hearing a word Kyo had said to him.

"Do I look like a friggin homo you gender confused dumbass!" Sayora shouted.

Suddenly, Kyo's face as well as Yuki's flushed red. The two of them as well as Sayora had just noticed that Tohru was covered with nothing but a short towel.

"Ahhhhh!" Kyo shouted as he spun around. "I didn't see anything! I swear!"

Yuki turned around as well. "I-I didn't see anything either!"

"E-eh?" Tohru asked, still clueless.

"Just… let's go Tohru…" Sayora sighed, giving up as she dragged Tohru out of the room and to the lady's side of the hot springs.

-----Few Minutes Later-----

"Hrrrrp! Hrrrrrrp! Grruuuyoo iissshh doouwiii bweee!" Momiji cried. (Translation: Help! Help! Kyo is drowning me!)

"That was unforgivable!" Kyo growled as he held Momiji's head underwater.

"How dare you Momiji," Yuki scolded, not making a move to help him. "I can't believe you would try to trick Honda-san like that."

"I'm here you guys!" Shigure announced as he walked to the hot springs. Yuki and Kyo looked toward the voice. As soon as they did, they twitched, wanting to puke immediately.

-----Girl's Side-----

"This feels really nice, doesn't it Sayora-san?" Tohru asked as they got into the hot springs.

"Yeah… I guess," Sayora replied as she let herself sink deeper into the hot water.

They both silently enjoyed their relaxation. Suddenly…

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the two of them nearly drowned when they heard Yuki and Kyo scream.

"Shigure! Get a towel on! NOW!" they heard Yuki yell.

Sayora sweat dropped and paled.

"Eh? I wonder what's going on…" Tohru said to herself.

_Sometimes… it's good to be as dense as her…_ Sayora thought. "Don't worry… they're probably… _goofing off_ or something…" she said, trying to find the right words to use.

"Wah! Shi-chan has a sexy butt!" Momiji cried.

Sayora gagged.

"Sayora-san?" Tohru asked. "Are you alright?"

"I… I just threw up… in my mouth…" she stuttered as she tried not to gag again.

-----Few Moments Later-----

It was finally quiet and Sayora and Tohru were able to once again enjoy the relaxation.

"It feels nice, doesn't it Mom? Just like last time," Sayora heard Tohru say to a picture in a plastic bag.

"That's your mom?" Sayora asked.

"Oh, yes…" Tohru answered.

"How did she… you know…" Sayora hesitated.

"Mom died in an accident," Tohru replied with a sad smile on her face.

"Oh…" Sayora trailed off. "What kind of person was she?"

"Mom was really nice!" Tohru exclaimed with a smile. "She really loved me a lot! And Mom taught me lots of important things and spent lots of time with me! We… really had a great time together…"

"She sounds like a great person," Sayora said with a small smile.

"Yes!" Tohru replied. "What about _your_ parents Sayora-san?"

"Oh…" she said quietly as Tohru's smile started to fade away. "My parents… died too…"

"I'm… I'm sorry Sayora-san," Tohru apologized. "It wasn't my place to ask…"

"No, it's okay!" Sayora quickly replied. "Really, it's fine. You shouldn't worry about asking personal things all the time."

"Okay…" she answered. _Most people in the Souma family aren't very close to their parents… they almost never talk about them… I wonder if that's just part of the curse the Jyuunishi must put up with…_

-----Few Hours Later-----

Everyone had gotten ready for bed. Sayora was walking toward her room when she heard a creak.

"Sayora-chan, is that you?" Okami asked.

"Oh, it's you…" Sayora replied. "Did you need something?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. I just came to check on everyone," she said. "Please, don't mind me."

"Excuse me then," she replied as she turned around and walked toward her room.

"Um… Sayora-chan," Okami called as Sayora turned back around to face her. "Actually, could we talk for a bit?"

-----Few Moments Later-----

Okami and Sayora seated themselves comfortably on the couch across from each other. The light was dim, but bright enough for them to see around.

"You know, I thought you looked familiar," Okami said. "You remember my son Ritsu, right?"

"Yeah," Sayora replied.

Okami smiled. "I'd like to thank you," she said as Sayora gave her a confused look. "About nine years ago, when Ritsu wandered around the Main House and ran into you, you were very kind to him. You played with him and made him smile. He was very happy. I could tell… I'd like to thank you for that. If you see him again, I hope that you will continue to be kind to him."

Sayora didn't reply. She only stared at the ground.

"Well, I'm sure you're tired," Okami said as she got up. "You have to wake early tomorrow to pack up and go home, so I'll leave now. Goodnight Sayora-chan."

Okami quietly left the room.

-----Next Morning-----

"I bet Kyo is jealous of Sayo!" Momiji accused. "Sayo got to sleep in the same room as Tohru!"

Sayora's elbow landed on Momiji's head and Kyo's fist landed in his face.

"Waaaaaahhh!" Momiji cried. "Kyo and Sayo hit me! It really hurts! Waahh!"

"Oh no! Momiji-kun, are you alright?" Tohru asked as she went over to him to comfort him.

"Don't waste your effort Honda-san," Yuki said sighing as he gently pulled her back to her seat. "He's doing that on purpose."

"Are you sure about that Yuki-kun?" Shigure asked playfully. "Are you sure that you're not just saying that because you want Tohru-kun all to yourself? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Yuki punch Shigure through the window and out of the bus.

"Ahhh!" Tohru screamed. "O-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh my g-g-g-god! Sh-Sh-Shi-Shigure-sa-sa-san!"

-----Few Moments Later-----

Sayora had taken Momiji to meet up with Haru so that he could return to the Main House. Everyone else had finally arrived at Shigure's house. As they reached the front door, they noticed someone familiar. The person, hearing footsteps approaching, turned around to face Shigure and the others.

"Oh great…" Kyo muttered.

"Ritsu," Yuki called as he turned around.

"Ritchan-san!" Tohru said happily.

"Ritchan!" Shigure called. "What a surprise! How long were you waiting?"

"Oh… not long at all," Ritsu replied shyly. "I only just arrived myself."

"I see," Shigure said as he opened the door and walked into his house. "So Ritchan, why did you come? Did you want to meet Sayora-chan?"

"Oh, yes," he replied as he and the others walked in as well. "I haven't seen her in such a long time. When I found out that she was staying here with you, I wanted to come and pay her a little visit."

"Well, Sayora-chan is out right now," Shigure informed. "She'll be back soon."

"Who will?" came Sayora's voice from the entrance of the living room.

"Oh, Sayora-san! Welcome back!" Tohru said.

"Oh, am I interrupting anything?" Sayora asked, seeing the other person in the room with them.

"No, no, not at all," Shigure replied as Sayora noticed the person smile widely and happily. "What a coincidence. We were just talking about you Sayora-chan."

"Ah… uh… Sayora-san, I-I can't believe how long it's been since we've last seen each other!" the person said excitedly as Sayora stared at her.

"Yeah… it's been uh… _so_ long that I've… kinda forgotten who you are… so… uh…?" Sayora said hesitantly, not wanting to seem rude.

Shigure tried to suppress a laugh. "Sayora-chan, Sayora-chan, there's no need to make excuses," he said. "You don't remember, do you? I wouldn't be surprised. That's Ritchan. His getup is much better than back then, isn't it?"

"Huh? Ritsu? Really?" she asked. "You're _still_ in women's clothes?"

Ritsu gasped. "Oh no! You hate it, don't you!" he started to panic. "I've surprised you! What a horrible thing to do to an old friend! OH WHAT A HORRIBLE THING TO DO! I'M SO SORRY SAYORA-SAN! I'M SO SO SORRY! I'LL TAKE OFF MY CLOTHES RIGHT NOW!"

"No… don't…" Shigure replied, a bit grossed out by the thought.

_**Please** don't…_ Yuki and Kyo thought.

"Relax, relax," Sayora said, calming him down. "I don't hate it. You just look a bit different. Your hairs grown really long and stuff, that's all."

"OH NO! YOU DON'T LIKE MY HAIR! I'LL GO CUT IT RIGHT NOW! I'LL SHAVE MY HEAD BALD!" Ritsu shouted, scissors magically appearing out of nowhere and into his hand.

"Oh! Ritchan-san! Please be careful with those scissors!" Tohru warned worriedly, seeing how he was waving it around his head.

"OH I'M SUCH A USELESS PERSON WHO CAN CAUSE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE! I'M SO USELESS USELESS USELESS!" he continued with his rampage.

"Oi Ritsu, Ritsu," Sayora said calmly in an attempt to calm him down again. "If you wave those scissors around anymore, you just might cut someone's head off…"

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!** I DON'T WANT TO CUT SOMEONE'S HEAD OFF! I DON'T WANT TO KILL ANYONE!" Ritsu panicked as everyone sweat dropped.

"Yeah! You're lots of help you stupid wolf!" Kyo shouted sarcastically at Sayora.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Ritsu had finally calmed down and let go of the scissors. Tohru was now fixing everyone a snack while everyone else was still in the living room keeping Ristu company.

"So Ritchan, did you bring anything for Sayora-chan?" Shigure asked playfully as Ritsu flinched.

"W-well…" he started off quietly. "A DOG CHASED AFTER ME AND TOOK MY FOOD THAT I WAS GOING TO GIVE TO SAYORA-SAN AS A GIFT AND IT RAN OFF WITH IT SO NOW I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO GIVE TO HER AND FOR THAT I'M SO SORRY BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN SUCH A LONG TIME AND I REALLY SHOULD'VE BEEN MORE CAREFUL WITH THINGS BECAUSE THEN THE DOG WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STEAL THE FOOD THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE TO SAYORA-SAN AND I WOULDN'T SEEM SO RUDE TO AN OLD FRIEND AND I'M SO SORRY THAT I WAS SO CARELESS AND I SWEAR IT WON'T EVER HAPPEN AGAIN SO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR MY TERRIBLE TERRIBLE MISTAKE AND I KNOW THAT I SHOULD BE PUNISHED FOR DOING SUCH A THING TO AN OLD FRIEND BUT I TRULY _AM_ SORRY AND I ALREADY SWORE THAT IT WON'T EVER EVER HAPPEN EVER AGAIN SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME EVEN THOUGH I SHOULDN'T BE FORGIVEN BECAUSE I'VE DONE A TRULY HORRIBLE THING BUT STILL PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" Ritsu shouted desperately all in one breath, now gasping for air.

Everyone looked him in amazement.

"Wow Ritchan, I think you've set the record for the longest run-on sentence," Shigure said. "Impressive."

"Hey, by chance Shigure, that dog that stole his food wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" Sayora asked jokingly. "Anyway Ritsu, don't worry about it. It's alright."

"Really?" he asked relieved, all teary eyed.

"Yes," she assured.

"The food is ready!" Tohru announced happily as she came out with a tray full of onigiri and tea.

"Oh, thank you Tohru-kun," Shigure replied as she set the food down.

"So, how's it been these few years Ritsu?" Sayora asked.

"Oh, uh… everything's been fine," he replied.

"That's good," she said.

"Yes…" Ritsu replied as he picked up his cup of tea. "Oh!"

He quickly withdrew his hand from the hot cup, dropping it on the floor as it spilled all over Kyo.

"Ow! Hot!" Kyo shouted. "Watch it dammit!"

A pitiful look grew on Ritsu's face.

"Kyo-kun! Are you all right?" Tohru asked worriedly as she got up. "I'll go get a towel!"

"Yuki-kun, would you mind getting a broom to sweep up all the glass?" Shigure asked.

"Sure," Yuki replied as he walked toward the kitchen.

"It's frigging **hot**!" Kyo complained.

"Get over it you dumb cat!" Sayora shouted. "It's only a little hot tea!"

"I'd like to see _you_ get splashed with a _little_ hot tea!" Kyo shouted back.

"I did if you recall in chapter 10!" she snapped. "Tohru spilled a _tray_ full of it all over me thanks to you and Yuki!"

"In _chapter 10_!" Kyo repeated. "Are we in a book or something you dumb wolf!"

"That's not my point!" Sayora shouted.

"THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!" Ritsu screamed, scaring the hell out of Kyo, Sayora, and Shigure.

"What!" Yuki asked alarmed as he ran into the living room with the broom.

"Ritchan-san! Are you alright!" came Tohru's worried voice as she also ran into the living room with the towels.

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" he screamed again.

"Relax Ritchan," Shigure attempted to calm him down. "Kyo-kun and Sayora-chan always argue like this."

"BUT IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" he continued to scream. "I SPILT TEA AND BROKE AND CUP! IT'S **HORRIBLE**! I'M **SO** SORRY! I APOLOGIZE TO THE WORLD! I APOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE I'VE EVER MET! I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON! I CAN'T DO _ANYTHING _RIGHT!"

"No! It's not your fault Ritchan-san!" Tohru quickly replied. "It was _my_ fault! I should've warned you that the tea was hot!"

"Tohru-kun, that's just common sense…" Shigure said.

"Oh! Shigure-san is right!" Ritsu yelled. "I'M **SO **STUPID!"

"No, you're just overreacting…" he replied.

"Just give me the towels…" Kyo said tiredly.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Everything was finally cleaned up. Tohru had helped Yuki sweep the glass off of the floor while Kyo dried himself and went upstairs to get changed. Sayora was _trying_ to convince Ritsu that nothing was his fault while Shigure tried to read a book.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I SPILT TEA! HOW COULD I SPILL _TEA_! _AND_ I BROKE A _CUP_! **_A CUP!_** OH, I'M SO **HOPELESS** AND **USELESS** AND **TROUBLESOME** AND—"

"Ritsu!" Sayora said sternly. "It's not a big deal."

"**_I'M SORRY!_**" Ritsu screamed in Sayora's face. "I'M MAKING A BIG DEAL OUT OF SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T BE A BIG DEAL! I'M SO TERRIBLE!"

"Ritchan, perhaps you can go buy us all some tokiyaki," Shigure suggested.

"But… but…" he sobbed.

"If you do, we'll all forgive you," Shigure replied, as if speaking to a child.

"Shigure, don't tease—"

"Okay!" Ritsu yelled, interrupting Sayora. "I'll go buy some tokiyaki right now!"

-----Forty-five Minutes Later-----

"I wonder where Ritchan-san is…" Tohru said. "He's been gone quite a while now…"

"Thank god!" Kyo replied. "All he does is scream and shout!"

"My, doesn't _that_ sound like a certain couple I know," Shigure said sarcastically.

"What the hell is _that _supposed to mean!" Kyo and Sayora shouted at the same time.

"See?" he asked. "You're shouting and screaming at me already."

"Ugh, whatever," Sayora replied tiredly as she got up.

"Sayora, where're you going?" Yuki asked.

"To find Ritsu," she answered as she opened the front door. "He's probably screaming his ass off somewhere…"

"Tch, why even bother?" Kyo asked rhetorically.

"Oh, Tohru, we ran out of soy sauce, right?" Sayora asked before she walked out.

"That's right!" Tohru remembered. "I'll go with you!"

"Don't worry about it," she replied. "I'll get it on my way back."

"Oh, thank you very much Sayora-san! Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Be back in a bit," Sayora said before everyone heard the door shut.

-----Five Minutes Later-----

Sayora walked around, keeping her ears alert for chaotic screaming. Soon enough, she heard what she was listening for.

"PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I CAN'T GIVE YOU ONE! I'LL BUY YOU SOME LATER! I HAVE TO GET THESE TO SHIGURE-SAN! OTHERWISE, EVERYONE WON'T FORGIVE ME!"

"I said gimme one!" a little bratty looking kid around seven years old demanded, tugging the bag of tokiyaki in Ritsu's hands.

"I SAID I CAN'T! I'M TRULY SORRY BUT I REALLY CAN'T! I HAVE TO—"

"Oi, Ritsu!" Sayora called as he turned to face while still trying to take the bag away from the little boy. "What the hell're you doing?"

"Sayora-san!" Ritsu said, sounding a bit relieved. "He wants the tokiyaki that Shigure-san asked me to buy but I can't give it to him because then you and everyone else won't forgive me!"

"Kid," Sayora said sternly while glaring down at him with her hands in her pockets. "You better let go of that bag."

The little boy's face had fear written all over it. He suddenly let go and ran away screaming. "Ahhhhhhh! Mommy! Mommy! There's a really scary punk old lady who looks like a monster! MOMMY!"

A sweat drop and a vein popped up on Sayora's head. _Scary punk old lady who looks like a monster?_ she repeated to herself mentally. _What the hell…_

"Oh, thank you so much Sayora-san!" Ritsu thanked gratefully, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, right," she replied. "Anyway, don't tell me you spent all that time fighting with that little brat."

"Well… no actually," he said. "Before that, there was a bird that tried to take one from the bag. And then after that, the bag got caught between someone's car door. Then I set it down for just one second and a strong wind almost blew it away. And then after _that_—"

"Okay, okay, I get your point," Sayora replied tiredly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ritsu apologized, sounding a bit down. "Are you angry at me?"

"Huh? No… why would I be?" she asked.

"N-no reason…" he trailed off.

"Do I seem… harder to approach then back then?" Sayora asked quietly.

Ritsu stared at her in shock.

"…O-oh no…" he said sadly. "I'VE MADE YOU MISUNDERSTAND ME! I'M SO SORR—"

"Stop," she replied as he immediately did so.

"Oh… Sayora-san… did I say something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Stop apologizing… you apologize for things you aren't responsible for and it'll only make you feel bad," Sayora replied.

"Am I annoying you?" Ritsu asked in the same worried tone. "It was just that, you were so kind back then—ah! I'm not saying that you're not nice now because you really are, but it's just that, you're someone who I can be myself around and—"

"Are you being yourself right now?" Sayora interrupted. "Is this who you really are… Ritsu?"

"Well…" he trailed off a bit shakily.

"Have I changed so much? So much that you can't show your real self to me anymore?" she asked, making him feel bad. Sayora noticed the look of guilt on Ritsu's face and noticed how harsh her words had came out. "Ah, sorry… ignore what I said," she said to him, forcing a small smile on her face to assure him that she was okay. "I was just… _thinking_ about stuff. Just don't worry about it…"

"O-okay…" he replied.

"Let's go. I told Tohru I'd pick up some soy sauce on the way back," Sayora said.

-----Ten Minutes Later-----

Ritsu and Sayora had finally arrived at the grocery store. They were in the canned foods and sauce section looking for the thin soy sauce.

"Oh, I found it Sayora-san! It's over here!" he said as he reached for it.

"Thanks," she replied as she turned around to watch in horror. "R-Ritsu!"

The shelf of soy sauce was tipping over as Ritsu ran over next to Sayora with a single bottle of soy sauce. The two of them watched as the whole shelf came crashing down.

"Hey! What's going on!" the store owner asked alarmed as he ran to check on them. His mouth dropped open. The whole floor was filled with broken glass and soy sauce. "What happened!"

"I'M SO SORRY! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! IF I DIDN'T TRY TO GET THE SOY SAUCE, THIS NEVER WOULD'VE HAPPENED! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" Ritsu screamed in the owner's face, scaring him like hell.

"What're you gonna do about this!" he asked angrily. "You better hope you've got the money!"

"Actually… we'll buy this bottle," Sayora said as she took the soy sauce from Ritsu's hand. "About the mess here, send the bill to this guy. Here's the address."

Sayora scribbled something down on a small piece of paper and handed it to the owner. He snatched it out of her hand and looked at it.

"And how would I know you didn't just give me a phony address and name?" he asked suspiciously.

"WE'RE TELLING YOU THE TRUTH! PLEASE BELIEVE US!" Ritsu pleaded. "IF YOU DON'T TRUST ME, THEN TRUST SAYORA-SAN! WE'RE REALLY NOT LYING! HONEST! PLEASE FORGIVE US!"

_Us?_ Sayora thought.

The owner looked nervously at Ritsu as his stern face appeared again. "Fine!" he replied. "But I'm warning you, if you try and trick me…"

"Here's 900 yen for the soy sauce we're buying," Sayora said as she handed him the money. "Sorry for the trouble. That guy will pay the rest."

Before Ritsu or the store owner could say anything more, Sayora dragged Ritsu out with her.

"Ohhhh… I'm SO sorry Sayora-san! I'm always causing trouble for you and everyone else…" he said sadly.

"I said it's okay," Sayora sighed.

"What's wrong?" Ritsu asked. "Am I annoying you or making you angry? Do you… do you hate me?"

-----Shigure's House-----

"I wonder if something went wrong… Sayora-san and Ritchan-san haven't been back for a while now," Tohru said worriedly, seeing as how it was already a good three hours since Sayora left.

"Goddamn it! I'm hungry!" Kyo complained.

"Would you be quiet?" Yuki asked annoyed. Kyo had been complaining for the last hour.

"Shut up, stupid rat!" Kyo shouted.

"Now, now, settle down Kyo-kun," Shigure replied calmly. "I'm sure Sayora-chan and Ritchan-san will be back soon."

"But they _have_ been gone for a while," Yuki said.

"Indeed," Shigure agreed. "My tokiyaki must be cold and hard by now."

Suddenly, everyone heard the front door open. Ritsu and Sayora came into the living room.

"Where the hell have you two been!" Kyo roared.

"Grocery store," Sayora simply replied as she held up a bag with a single soy sauce bottle in it as proof.

"For three friggen hours!" he shouted accusingly.

"Yes for three friggin hours!" she shouted back.

"Here's your tokiyaki!" Ritsu said as he thrusted the bad in front of Shigure's face. "I'm so sorry I took a long time! Please forgive me!"

"Yes, yes, I forgive you," Shigure replied as he took the bag.

"Really!" Ritsu asked teary eyed.

"Yes," he answered.

"Yo Tohru, here's the soy sauce," Sayora said as she handed the bag to her, ignoring all of Kyo's shouting.

"Oh, thank you!" Tohru replied. "I'll go make dinner now!" Tohru went to the kitchen.

"Stop ignoring me dammit!" Kyo shouted. "You know how hungry I am!"

"Maybe I should've forgotten the soy sauce!" Sayora shouted back. "I'd like to see what you'd say then!"

"I'd still say I'm goddamn hungry! Listen to my stomach! You hear how loud it's growling!"

"No I don't!" she yelled. "The only thing I hear is your big mouth!"

"You're shouting louder than _I_ am you dumb flee bag!" Kyo shouted.

"Orange furball!" she countered.

"Dumb mut!"

"Stupid rodent!"

"Hey… don't bring me into this…" Yuki said.

"Shut up you damn rat!" Kyo shouted.

"You're the one who's being loud!" Yuki argued.

"That's cuz all you can do is squeal!"

"That was clever Sayora-chan," Shigure complimented the girl who stood next to him, watching the two guys argue.

"I didn't think that would actually work…" she replied. "Well, for Yuki anyway. Kyo's always simple minded."

"You look troubled," Shigure said with a small smile, not averting his gaze from Yuki and Kyo. "Did something happen?"

"I guess…"

"_What's wrong?" Ritsu asked. "Am I annoying you or making you angry? Do you… do you hate me?"_

_Sayora stopped and looked at Ritsu. _

"_Ritsu… I don't **hate** you… it's just that you always think so badly of yourself," she replied._

_The two of them went silent for a moment._

"_Tell me something," Sayora said as he looked up at her. "Do you remember the first time we met about nine years ago?"_

"_Of course," he replied. _

"_Do you think I was kind to you?"_

"_Yes! You were very kind!"_

"_Really?" Sayora asked. _

"_Yes… to be honest, I felt like you were the first person to accept the real me," Ritsu said with a small smile. "It was the first time I wasn't afraid of being me. And it was also the first time I didn't think so badly of myself… I felt like a person I could be proud of…"_

"_Do you still feel that way around me?" she asked again. _

"_Yes!"_

"_Don't tell me what you think I wanna hear," Sayora said. "Honestly, do you still feel the same?"_

"_Yes! I really do!" he repeated. _

"**STUPID WOLF!**"

"Huh! What!" Sayora asked alarmed as a familiar voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "What!"

"What the hell do you mean _what_!" Kyo shouted. "Did you fall asleep with your stupid eyes open or something!"

"Maybe I did!" she shouted back.

"The food is ready!" Tohru announced as she walked to the table to set the food down.

"Let me help you with that," Yuki offered as he mentally sighed to himself at Sayora and Kyo.

"Oh! Thank you very much Yuki-kun!" she thanked.

"Let me help too!" Ritsu offered determinedly as he a cup of tea. "Oh no!"

He quickly withdrew his hand from the hot cup, dropping it on the floor as it spilled all over Kyo.

"Ow! Hot!" Kyo shouted. "Watch it dammit!"

A pitiful look grew on Ritsu's face.

"Kyo-kun! Are you all right?" Tohru asked worriedly as she got up. "I'll go get a towel!"

"Yuki-kun, would you mind getting a broom to sweep up all the glass?" Shigure asked.

"Sure," Yuki replied as he walked toward the kitchen.

"It's frigging **hot**!" Kyo complained.

"Get over it you dumb cat!" Sayora shouted. "It's only a little hot tea!"

"I'd like to see _you_ get splashed with a _little_ hot tea!" Kyo shouted back.

"I did if you recall in chapter 10!" she snapped. "Tohru spilled a _tray_ full of it all over me thanks to you and Yuki!"

"In _chapter 10_!" Kyo repeated. "Are we in a book or something you dumb wolf!"

"That's not my point!" Sayora shouted.

"THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!" Ritsu screamed.

"What!" Yuki asked alarmed as he ran into the living room with the broom.

"Ritchan-san! Are you alright!" came Tohru's worried voice as she also ran into the living room with the towels.

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" he screamed again.

"My, my…" Shigure sighed. "This seems oddly familiar…"

-----3am-----

Everyone was already asleep. Ritsu was staying the night and sharing Tohru's room. Sayora was on the roof, the only one who was still awake.

"_If you see him again, I hope that you will continue to be kind to him."_

"_Yes! You were very kind!"_

"_Yes… to be honest, I felt like you were the first person to accept the real me. It was the first time I wasn't afraid of being me. And it was also the first time I didn't think so badly of myself… I felt like a person I could be proud of…"_

The words echoed in her mind as she thought back to when she had first met Ritsu nine years ago.

_-----Nine Years Ago-----_

_Sayora looked at the little girl who had wandered to the window of her room. Making sure that no one was around, she snuck out._

"_Um…" she trailed off, not sure what to say seeing as how she had very little experience with people._

"_Oh!" the little girl exclaimed in shock. She hadn't noticed Sayora until now. The two stared at each other, neither knowing what to say to the other._

"_Sayora…" Sayora introduced herself shyly. "It's… nice to meet you…"_

"_U-um… Ritsu…" she introduced herself as well, just as shyly as Sayora. "It's nice… to meet you too…"_

"_Did you get lost?" Sayora asked as Ritsu nodded. "Well… you could stay here with me until your mom or dad comes…"_

_A small smile grew on Ritsu's face. The two played with each other and began to get to know each other better, quickly becoming close friends. Ritsu's manly side had started to surface, even if just a litte. _

"_You know, I'm kinda glad you're a girl," Sayora said as Ritsu turned to face her. _

"_Oh… why?" Ritsu asked. _

"_No reason…" she replied. "I just can't…well, to put it bluntly, guys cause me problems. They're nothing but trouble."_

Sayora closed her eyes and sighed as the wind blew through her hair.

_I didn't notice how harsh those words had came out…_ she thought. _I said that cuz of the curse of the zodiac, and I'm sure Ritsu knows that now, but what I said back then must've hurt him. After all, I didn't know he was a guy until later, and I didn't know he was one of the Jyuunishi either. Whenever I think back on it, I guess I kinda feel bad… whatever confidence he had left as a man, I'm sure I must've crushed it._

Sayora opened her eyes again and laid down, staring up into the sky.

_And to be honest, I wasn't being **kind** to him. It was more like… **using** him to ease my loneliness. I never really even cared about anyone but myself. I suppose that was because I didn't have anyone else to care about, but still… I never cared about Ritsu back then. Sure, I knew that he had problems of his own, but that didn't matter to me. Somehow, I think it's my fault that he hasn't gotten his confidence back. I'm sure that he still didn't forget what I said to him that night…_

-----Next Morning-----

Sayora came downstairs and joined the others in the living room.

"Uuaaaaahh!" Shigure exclaimed in shock as his mouth dropped open.

"What?" Sayora asked. "Okay… literally… keep your chin up and off the table Shigure."

"Ah—uh—duh—buh..."

"What?" Yuki asked as everyone looked at him.

"Is there something wrong Shigure-san?" Tohru asked.

"Wha-what's with this 1,078,657,394,903,461,236,906 yen tab on the grocery store!" he asked in horror.

Ritsu paled. "I'M SO SOR—"

"Wow! That's one _huge_ tab Shigure!" Sayora exclaimed as she quickly covered Ritsu's mouth. Kyo looked at her suspiciously.

"So… what happened at the grocery store?" he asked.

"Shut it!" she threatened as Shigure cried over the tab.

"The Soumas will _never _agree to pay for this!" he cried. "I'll have to sell the house! And my property! And…" he went on.

"A certain monkey pulled down a few shelves," Sayora whispered to Kyo and Yuki.

"And Sayora-chan and Tohru-kun will have to sell themselves…"

"You don't have to go that far!" Sayora shouted as she slammed Shigure's head through the wooden floor.

"And Yuki will have to sell _herself _too…" Shigure said as Yuki's foot immediately landed on his head.

"You _definitely_ don't have to go that far!" he said through his teeth.

"Sh-Sh-Sh-Sh-Sh-Shigure-san!" Tohru yelled worriedly. "Oh my god Shigure-san! Are you alright!"

"THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! I'M SO SORRY!" Ritsu screamed.

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 14- Jealousy

Both Tohru and Sayora get sick at the same time, but Kyo's completely ignoring Sayora. It seems that he's much more worried about Tohru. For the first time, Sayora sees how much Kyo really cares for Tohru. She may not realize or admit her feelings for Kyo yet, but her hidden jealousy may make her realize and accept something that she doesn'twant to.


	14. Jealousy

**dna-** hey ppl. srry it took a while! tried to update as soon as i could. i know i always say that but still, i'll try to update more frequently cuz i know how aggravating it can be sometimes when your waiting for a chapter. anywayz, hope u enjoy! (btw, turned 14 on the 1st... i feel so old! lol)

**Hopeless Chapter 14- Jealousy**

It was morning. Kyo had just woken up and was headed toward the kitchen to see what Tohru was making for breakfast. To his surprise, she wasn't there. It was only Shigure.

"Oh, good morning Kyo-kun," Shigure greeted.

"Where's Tohru and that dumb wolf?" Kyo asked. "Those two are usually up by now."

"Yes, I was quite surprised myself," he replied. "It seems that they're still asleep. They must be tired."

"Oh," Kyo said as he looked in the pantries, finding something to eat.

"Kyo-kun," Shigure called.

"What?"

"Make me breakfast too."

A vein popped out of Kyo's head.

"Make it yourself you lazy old man!" he shouted.

"Don't be so mean Kyo-kun!" Shigure whined. "You said it yourself, I'm an old man. You have to start taking responsibility for me."

"Take responsibility my ass!" Kyo yelled.

"Would you stop your shouting you stupid cat?" came Yuki's tired voice as he walked into the kitchen.

"Shut up you dumb rat! Don't tell me what to—"

Yuki punched Kyo into the wall.

"Hey, where's Honda-san and Sayora?" Yuki asked.

"Still asleep," Shigure replied.

"Through Kyo's shouting?" he asked again. "But those two are always up early."

"True," he agreed. "Why don't you two boys go check on them. Just make sure not to do anything… _inappropriate_."

"You disgusting lech," Kyo growled, holding in his anger as both his and Yuki's fist landed on Shigure's face, sending him out of the kitchen.

"Hey… would you guys shut the hell up…?" came Sayora's exhausted voice.

"Sayora, you're up," Yuki said.

"Thanks for noticing," she replied sarcastically as she looked around. "Where's Tohru?" Her eyes landed on a knocked out Shigure. "And what the hell happened to him?"

"God dammit! We're out of milk again!" Kyo suddenly shouted as Yuki and Sayora turned to him. "You damn wolf! You were the last one to drink it, so go buy more!"

"O-oh no…"

Everyone, including Shigure who had recovered, turned to the entrance of the kitchen to find Tohru looking half dead.

"H-Honda-san, a-are you… alright?" Yuki asked in concern.

"I'm so sorry Kyo-kun," Tohru apologized as she dragged herself into the kitchen. "I used the milk last night in the mashed potatoes we all had for dinner. I'll go buy more right now."

"O-oi, wait a second," Kyo replied worriedly as well. "Forget the milk. The dumb wolf will get that. What's wrong?"

_That goddamn cat!_ Sayora thought.

"Oh, it's nothing," Tohru assured with a weak smile that failed to convince everyone even the slightest bit. "I'm just feeling a bit tired, that's all. Please don't worry about me. Eh?"

The back of Shigure's hand was on Tohru's forehead. "It seems you're sick Tohru-kun," he concluded. "You feel a little hot."

"That sounds _so_ wrong coming from you…" Sayora muttered. "Anyway, Tohru, don't worry about breakfast."

"No! I can't do that! What will everyone eat?" she started to panic.

"I'll take care of it all," she replied.

"But—" Tohru started to object.

"It's alright Honda-san," Yuki assured. "We'll be fine. Really."

"But I couldn't possibly do that!" she replied. "I mean, you've all done so much for me! The least I could do—"

"Is to get better so we won't have to worry about you," Shigure finished. "Okay Tohru-kun? Sayora-chan will take care of breakfast for everyone today. For now, you need to rest, okay?"

Tohru gave in. "Yes…" she answered as she headed upstairs.

-----Fifteen Minutes Later-----

Kyo and Yuki had a vein popping out of their heads while Shigure had a sweat drop.

"Sayora-chan…" Shigure trailed off.

"What the hell is your goddamn problem!" Kyo shouted, Yuki staying calm.

"What!" Sayora asked. "Cat food for you! Dog food for Shigure! Cheese for Yuki! What's the problem!"

"How come _you_ and _Tohru _get beef stew and rice!"

"Tohru's sick and I'm a wolf! Wolves eat meat!"

"Aaarrrrghhhh! Forget this! I'm making my own goddamn breakfast!" he shouted as Sayora started up the stairs with Tohru's breakfast.

"Good luck! We're out of food!" the three of them heard Sayora shout to them.

Everything was silent in the house. Kyo had froze halfway out of the living room. A vein popped out of his head, his anger rising.

"Arrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed as he grabbed the table and chucked it through the paper sliding door and to the backyard.

"Now what was that for Kyo-ku—"

A flower vase smashed into Shigure's face as he fell over backwards.

"We had a flower vase?" Yuki asked.

-----Thirty Minutes Later-----

Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo had just gotten back from ordering take-out. Sayora came downstairs with a tray of empty dishes looking a bit tired.

"Sayora-chan, are you alright?" Shigure asked as he helped take the food out of the bags.

"Huh? Yeah," she replied as she headed toward the kitchen to put the dishes in the sink for washing later.

"What about Tohru-kun? Is she doing alright too?"

"Yeah," she answered as she joined them in the living room. "I gave her some medicine and stuff, so she should be fine if she gets a bit of rest."

Right on cue, Tohru staggered downstairs.

"Ah! Honda-san!" Yuki said as he got up and helped her keep her balance. "You should be resting."

"Yes," she replied tiredly, "but I was thirsty…"

"Go back to bed," Kyo ordered as he got up. "I'll get the water."

"Oh, th-thank you very much Kyo-kun," Tohru replied weakly as Yuki helped her back to her room.

Shigure laughed to himself. "My, my, haven't _they_ suddenly transformed into gentlemen…"

"Tch! Don't make me laugh," Sayora remarked. "The only _real_ gentleman in the Souma family is Hatori."

"That's mean Sayora-chan!" Shigure whined. "Are you saying that I should where a business suit and look at half naked men?"

"Hey, he does check-ups on women too," she pointed out. "…Maybe he's a bi…"

Shigure stared at Sayora as a nervous sweat drop slid down her head.

"I WAS KIDDING YOU DISGUSTING DOG!" she shouted.

"Admit it Sayora-chan! You've got the hots for Haa-san!" he teased as the two turned to see a grossed out Kyo. He had come just in time to hear the last part of Shigure's statement.

"D-DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Sayora shouted as Kyo walked toward the stairs as if in a trance. "I SWEAR IT'S NOT WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE! HEY!"

"Oh? But that's what everyone says Sayo-chan," he accused with a sly smile.

"**_S-H-I-G-U-R-E-!-!-!_**" Sayora growled threateningly as her eyes turned bright red and as an evil aura appeared around her.

"O-okay… I'm sorry Sayora-chan," Shigure replied nervously. "I was just kidding…"

-----Next Day-----

"Stay home!" Kyo shouted.

"Don't shout at her you stupid cat," Sayora said calmly.

"But, today is the unit exam," Tohru said. "I have to go to school."

"Don't worry about it Honda-san," Yuki assured. "The teacher will let you take it later."

"Oh, but I mustn't!" she continued to object.

"Tohru-kun, you might get a low score if you take the test while you're sick," Shigure replied. "It's better to rest and get well first. The test can wait."

"For once, listen to him," Sayora said.

After hesitating for a moment, Tohru gave in and agreed to stay home.

-----Few Moments Later-----

"Alright… we're leaving," Sayora said to Tohru and Shigure.

"Take care of Honda-san, Shigure," Yuki said.

"Oh don't worry, I will," Shigure replied with a smile on his face.

"And don't do anything inappropriate," Kyo warned.

As soon as those words left Kyo's mouth, the other two turned to look at each other.

"On second thought, here's a stun gun Tohru," Sayora said as she handed it to her.

"E-ehh?" Tohru looked at it nervously and confused.

"If Shigure's anywhere less than five feet away from you, shoot him with this," she instructed. "Getting his nuts is a plus."

"Ehhh!"

Yuki and Kyo paled at the mere thought.

"Sa-Sayora…" Yuki trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Don't be so goddamn disgusting!" Kyo shouted.

"Hey, gotta know how to protect yourself around a pedophile…" Sayora replied.

"I'm not a pedophile!" Shigure exclaimed, pretending to be in tears.

"Shuddup or I'll shoot you myself…"

"Y-yes ma'am…"

-----Ten Minutes Later-----

Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora had run to school. After all, they had left pretty late, but to their surprise, they were actually quite early.

"Ha! I beat both of you to school!" Kyo bragged.

"Who would want to race to _school_ you stupid cat!" Sayora asked as Yuki mentally sighed.

"Hey, where's Tohru?" Uo asked as she and Hana approached them.

"I sense unstable waves from Tohru-kun," Hana said.

"Oh, yes," Yuki replied. "She's home sick."

"Really!" Uo asked in concern. "Is she alright?"

"God, you sound like her lover or something," Kyo muttered.

"I wouldn't be one to talk," Uo muttered back.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean!"

The whole class turned to watch the two yell at each other.

-----Ten Minutes Later-----

"Well look at you and your—huh?" Uo suddenly stopped herself mid-sentence. "Oi, you don't look so good… you okay?"

Yuki and Kyo turned to look at Sayora who did in fact, seem a little pale.

"A bit tired…" Sayora replied. "I probably caught Tohru's cold."

"Tch, it's just a little cold," Kyo said. "Get over it you weak wolf."

"If I recall, it's the same _little cold_ that Honda-san has," Yuki said a bit coldly. "You seemed to be quite worried about her, or was that an act?"

"Of course it wasn't an act!" he shouted.

"Thanks for the concern," Sayora muttered sarcastically.

"Looks like Kyon's in love," Uo teased.

"Am not!" Kyo immediately denied. "I'm just worried!"

"Same thing orangey!"

While the two argued, Sayora walked over to her desk and slumped down. She really wasn't feeling well, and all the loud arguing wasn't helping her either. What she wanted was to go home and rest.

-----Seven Hours Later-----

School had just ended.

"I have to go to a student council meeting," Yuki said to Sayora. "I'll be home later. Please tell Honda-san that I hope she's feeling better."

"Go already you damn rat," Kyo replied hatefully. "You're making me sick."

"I wasn't talking to you," Yuki said calmly as he continued to talk to Sayora. "And you should get some rest as well. You really aren't looking well…"

"Yeah, thanks Yuki," Sayora replied with a small smile.

Yuki turned around and walked back into the school as Kyo headed home. Dizziness suddenly swept through Sayora. She held onto the wall beside her for support.

"Hey… Kyo," she called weakly.

He turned around. "What?" he asked in an annoyed voice.

"I feel really dizzy…"

"Then come home later," he told her in his same annoyed tone.

"That's what I was thinking too, so could you wait with me?"

"No! I can't!" he snapped. "Tohru's sick! I have to get home and see how she's doing! If you feel sick, then come home when you feel better! I don't have time to look after you!"

Sayora was surprised at the way Kyo had talked to her.

"But, Kyo!" she called after him, but he ignored her and rushed home. "Wait!"

-----Ten Minutes Later-----

Kyo practically threw the door open as he hastily walked inside the house.

"Welcome home Kyo-kun," Shigure greeted as he poked his head out of the living room. "Where's Sayora-chan and Yuki-kun?"

"At school—where's Tohru? Is she okay?" Kyo quickly asked.

"She's upstairs," he answered. Before he got the chance to answer the other question, Kyo was already halfway up the stairs. He finally slowed down and stopped in front of Tohru's door.

"Hey, I'm coming in," he announced as he opened her door without waiting for a reply.

Tohru looked away from her window to look at him. "Oh, welcome home Kyo-kun!" she said with a smile. "How was your day?"

"It was fine. Don't worry about me," he replied. "Are you okay? Are you hungry? Is your fever down? Do you need anything?"

Tohru let out a small laugh. "I'm feeling better now Kyo-kun," she assured. "I'll be fine. Thank you very much for worrying about me."

Kyo let out a sigh of relief and smiled at her as he felt her head. "You still feel kinda hot… you should rest some more."

"Where's Sayora-san and Yuki-kun?" Tohru asked. "Are they still at school?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Is Sayora-san okay? She seemed a bit sick this morning," she asked again.

"Don't worry about the dumb wolf," he said. "Just get some sleep…"

-----Couple Hours Later-----

The front door opened.

"I'm back," Yuki announced as he entered the house while supporting Sayora.

"Welcome ba—ah! Sayora-chan!" Shigure exclaimed worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"She's sick," Yuki replied as he threw a quick glare to Kyo who missed it. "It seems like she has a high fever."

"Oh my, you too Sayora-chan? Well hurry inside. You should go upstairs and rest as well," Shigure replied.

"Yeah…" she said weakly as Yuki and Shigure helped her to her room. After they made sure that she was in bed, they quietly left her room and closed the door on their way out.

"Why was she home so late?" Shigure asked in a scolding voice.

"Because the stupid cat left her at school," Yuki replied, sounding a bit mad. "I didn't even know she was there until I saw her on my way home. Honestly, how could he be so careless?"

-----Hour Later-----

Sayora came downstairs just as Yuki and Shigure were about to leave the house.

"Eh? Sayora-chan, what're you doing out of bed?" Shigure asked.

"Well… I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep," she answered. "Where're you two going?"

"Akito-san called and wanted me to go over," he replied.

"You too Yuki?" Sayora asked.

"Oh, no," Yuki said. "Haru and Momiji are taking Kisa to a festival and asked me to come along."

"Oh…"

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Shigure assured.

"Me too," Yuki said as the two headed out the door.

"Oh! I almost forgot! We're out of food," Shigure remembered. "I've left some money on the living room table. Ask Kyo-kun to go out and buy something for you, okay Sayora-chan?"

"Yeah, thanks a lot Shigure," Sayora replied.

"Of course," he said as the two finally left.

Sayora shut the door and walked back toward the living room but abruptly stopped and headed for the kitchen instead when she heard something.

"Oh, Kyo…" she trailed off, looking at the tray in his hands. "What's that?"

"It's soup for Tohru," Kyo replied as he walked out of the kitchen, heading upstairs.

"Hold on Kyo. Could you make me something too?"

"I can't," he said without stopping. "I have to look after Tohru. Shigure left some money on the table in the living room. Go get something yourself."

Sayora heard Tohru's door open and then close.

_Of course he doesn't have the time to make something for me…_ she thought to herself sadly as she dragged her feet to the living room and sat down. After about half an hour later, Kyo and Tohru came down together.

"Oh, Sayora-san, hello!" Tohru greeted, sounding a bit better than the day before. "I'm sorry I didn't come down earlier."

"Hey, no worries," Sayora replied. "You look like you're getting better."

"Oh, yes! Kyo-kun has been looking after me!" Tohru's expression turned into a worried one. "But how are _you_ doing Sayora-san? You still don't look so well…"

"Tch, I told you! Don't worry about the dumb wolf!" Kyo said. "She's fine! You need to worry about yourself!"

"But—"

"No, he's right," Sayora cut her off. "I'm… _fine_…" she almost mumbled, but it seemed to have Tohru convinced.

"C'mon Tohru, you should get to bed," Kyo said as he lifted her to her feet.

The two of them got up and left. Sayora watched them go into the kitchen. Kyo was getting something. Tohru lightly tugged the back of his shirt.

"What is it?" Sayora heard Kyo ask in a gentle voice with a warm smile on his face as he turned around to face Tohru. She didn't hear anything after that. They were talking too quietly, and she was pretty zoned out. A couple minutes later, Kyo helped Tohru upstairs.

For the next ten minutes, Sayora just sat and stared at the table.

_What the hell is wrong with me…?_ she asked herself. The sound of footsteps suddenly drew her out of her thoughts. It was Kyo. He was heading toward the kitchen again. She debated with herself whether she should try to talk to him or not. Before she knew it, her feet snuck her silently into the kitchen, only a foot away from Kyo who had his back to her. Very slowly, her hand reached for the back of his shirt. She hesitated, suddenly afraid of what his reaction would be.

_Kyo… why do you only notice **her**… I'm right here in front of you, but you look right past me… it's like I don't even exist to you… is she the only one you see…? Is her pain the only one you'll acknowledge? Will you not look at me and think that I'm in pain too… watching you be at Tohru's side all the time? Why do you never look at me like you always look at **her**? Just because I act tough, are you going to ignore the weak side of me? Are you going to ignore my little voice calling out to you? Will you… completely shut me out…?_

Her fingertips brushed Kyo's shirt though he didn't seem to notice. Sayora's hand was trembling nervously as the shirt once again brushed the very tip of her fingers. Once she finally grasped them, she tugged on it so lightly that he barely felt it. Sayora's heart raced, waiting for his response.

"What?" came his aggravated voice as he turned around to look at her irritatedly.

She withdrew her hand, feeling as if she had been shredded. _It's no big deal…_ she told herself. _You were expecting this… it's no big deal…_

"Never mind…" she trailed off.

"If it's nothing, then don't bother me!"

He turned around and walked toward the stairs again with medicine in one hand and a glass of water in the other, not acknowledging Sayora any further than that. Sayora didn't turn around to watch him leave. After a couple minutes, she found her way back to the living room and grabbed the money on the table.

_Don't let it bother you…_ Sayora thought to herself as she walked down the grocery store to buy food. _You knew it was coming… of course he'd go for Tohru… no way we'd end up together, just like the zodiac curse… _

She was already at the grocery store, absentmindedly taking things off the shelf and dropping them into the basket.

_Dammit! What the hell am I thinking? Have I gone insane? **Me**? With **Kyo**? That's a laugh! We never get along! And to hell **I'd **ever fall in love—with someone like **him** nonetheless. The cold's probably just going up to my head or something. As if I'd ever get jealous of Tohru. I don't even see how she can put up with him…_

"2017 yen please," the clerk said. Sayora handed her the money. "Thank you! Please come again!"

Sayora was on her way home, walking at an incredibly slow pace. She surprisingly ran into Yuki and Shigure though she barely even noticed. Her head was killing her.

"Sayora-chan!"

"Sayora!"

It took her a while before she recognized the voices.

"Sayora! What're you doing out here!" Yuki asked worriedly.

"You're cold is going to get worse!" Shigure said, sounding just as concerned. "You should be in bed resting."

"Oh… sorry," Sayora apologized. "I had to buy some groceries. We were out of food at home."

"What about Kyo-kun?" Shigure asked. "Didn't you ask him to go buy something like I told you?"

"Well… he was taking care of Tohru, so I didn't want to bother him," she replied.

"Here, let me get those," Yuki said as he took the three bags from Sayora.

"So you haven't had anything to eat yet?" Shigure continued to question her. She shook her head no.

"Well, we might as well order take out for her Shigure," Yuki suggested.

"I'll take care of that," he replied. "You go on ahead and take Sayora-chan back home Yuki-kun."

"Okay…"

The two walked in silence. Yuki kept glancing at her worriedly, and who could blame him really? She wasn't acting normal at all, even if she _was_ sick. He couldn't help worrying.

"Sayora… what's wrong?" Yuki finally asked, breaking the silence.

"It's nothing…" Sayora answered. "It's just that, I'm a bit confused about things right now. For the first time, I think I've finally noticed something… and I don't know what to think…"

"What is it?" he asked again.

"Don't worry…" she said quietly. "It's nothing for you to worry about Yuki. Thanks a lot…"

-----Ten Minutes Later-----

Yuki and Sayora had arrived home about five minutes ago, and Shigure had just arrived himself. While Shigure took the food out of the bag and set it in front of Sayora, Yuki had gone off somewhere.

"Eat Sayora-chan!" Shigure ordered. "If you don't, the food will get cold."

Yeah, thanks," she replied.

-----Yuki-----

As soon as Kyo turned into the hall, Yuki grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him against the wall, glaring at him threateningly.

"W-what the hell're you doing you damn rat!" shouted a surprised Kyo.

"Go apologize to Sayora," Yuki ordered.

"What for!"

"You've been ignoring her completely!"

"Tohru was sick!"

"So was she!"

Kyo glared at Yuki angrily, not sure how to reply. After a while, he threw Yuki's hand off of his shirt.

"Who the hell cares…?" he asked angrily as he walked off.

-----Later-----

After finishing her food, Sayora went upstairs to finally get some rest. Yuki followed her into her room to talk with her.

"That stupid cat's been ignoring you, hasn't he?" Yuki asked, his anger clearly rising. "He hasn't been looking after you at all, has he?"

"It's alright Yuki, really," Sayora assured him.

"No, it's not! I'm going to knock some sense into him—!"

"Yuki, stop!" she said sternly as he looked at her. "If you had been in his position, I'm sure you would've taken care of Tohru too."

"But—"

"Or are you saying that you would've ignored _her_ for _me_?" Sayora asked, cutting him off. "Don't deny it Yuki. Tohru's number one on your list, and she's number one on Kyo's list too, and I can understand, so don't worry about it… besides, I can take care of myself."

Yuki kept silent.

_That's right… I can't help it if Kyo likes her. I can't force him to look at me and notice me like the way I'm trying to force my thoughts. I just don't know anymore… I'm so confused… just no idea what to think… especially since these are thoughts I've never had before… what the hell are they supposed to mean?_

"Maybe… maybe _you_ shouldn't deny it either…" Yuki said.

"What?" Sayora asked confused.

"The fact that… you like Kyo…"

Sayora didn't respond. She just sat there and stared at her hands.

_**Me**? In love with **Kyo**? Is that even possible…? Could I really be in love with him? Tch… _"Don't be ridiculous Yuki," she finally said. "There's no way in hell I'll ever fall for some dumbass like _him_…"

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 15- Class Trip Gone Wrong

Yuki's class goes on a field trip to Kyoto. Everything goes well… that is… until Sayora gets separated from the group. Lots of other things go wrong when Tohru and the others stay behind in an attempt to find her before the bus leaves. As Sayora tries to find her way back, she stumbles across something—or rather—some_one_, who brings back unwanted memories…


	15. Class Trip Gone Wrong

**Marshie the Marshmallow-** thanx a lot for reading this story n im glad u really like it! i cant make this a haru/oc because haru is suppose to love sayora like a _sister_, not a girlfriend **BUT! **i **DO** have a chapter coming up in a few more chapters that focuses on haru and sayora if that makes u happy. sorry... newayz, thanx a lot for reading this story!

and to everyone else who's read this story and reviewed (or not, i dont mind) thanx **_A LOT_**! i really appreciate all the support! ill get the chapters out as soon as i can, so please be patient! thanx a lot!

**Hopeless Chapter 15- Class Trip Gone Wrong**

Kyo, Yuki, Tohru, and Sayora were all at the front door getting ready to leave.

"Have fun on your trip," Shigure said with a smile. "And be careful too, for large crowds I mean."

"Don't worry. We're going to one of those old traditional and reserved places, so there won't be many people to worry about," Yuki replied.

"Is that so? Then maybe I should go…" he thought out loud.

"Hell no!" Kyo shouted.

"But why?" Shigure pouted. "I'll go as a chaperone!"

"_Definitely_ hell no!" Sayora yelled.

"It's just to make sure no one does anything _inappropriate_ or experience any _fun_ like when I was in high—"

"You can stop right there," Yuki said with a threatening glare. "I've already heard that absurd story once and I don't want to hear it again."

"Huh? What story?" Sayora asked.

Tohru smiled nervously, recalling the time Ayame had came over before Sayora started to live with them.

"But anyway, have fun on your trip you guys," Shigure said.

"Thank you very much Shigure-san!" Tohru replied with a bright and cheerful smile. "We'll be leaving now!"

"Alright."

The four finally started on their way to school. Tohru glanced down at her watch.

"Ahhhhh! It's already 7:27!" she screamed.

"What!" Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora simultaneously shouted in response.

"We have to hurry! The bus is leaving at 7:30!" Yuki said as he started to run.

"It's all Shigure's damn fault! Talking to us for so goddamn long!" Kyo blamed as he and the others ran too.

"Shut your mouth and run dammit! You wanna get left behind!" Sayora asked.

"Look who's talking you damn hypocritical wolf!"

"Please don't argue!" Tohru pleaded as she tried to keep up with the three. Within the next few seconds, they arrived at school. Everyone had a dumbfounded expression on their faces. The school clock hanging from the front of the school read 6:49.

"What… the hell…" Kyo said, suppressing his anger.

"O-oh… this watch isn't working…" Tohru replied with a nervous smile.

"Make sure the dumb thing is actually working next time dammit!" Sayora and Kyo shouted at the same time as Yuki heavily sighed.

"Yes! I'm sorry! I'll make sure next time! I'm sorry!"

-----Few Moments Later-----

Everyone was in the classroom with Uo and Hana.

"Hahaha!" Uo laughed. "So you all ran to school cuz Tohru's watch was all screwed up? That's funny! I can just see all in my mind!"

"Shut the hell up yankee!" Kyo shouted.

"The bus…" Hana said as everyone turned to look at her. "The bus will break down today…"

They all sweat dropped.

"I don't believe in—"

"If you finish that sentence, you will be cursed with a week of bad luck," Hana interrupted, shutting Sayora up immediately.

"Well _I_ don't believe in bad luck…" Kyo muttered as he was hit with a book that flew at him out of nowhere.

"Oh my god! Kyo-kun, are you alright! I'll go get the nurse!" Tohru cried.

"Alright, alright! Settle down!" the teacher ordered as all the conversations came to an abrupt stop. "Before we leave, I want you all to know that this is sort of like a little vacation off from school! I want you all to have fun and relax! Go all out and enjoy the trip, got it? Alright, now get on the busses!"

"Yeeeaaaahhh!" the whole class burst out in excitement as they raced out of the classroom. The three Soumas had to scramble out of the way to avoid transforming. Tohru waited with them. Hana was just lacking enthusiasm.

"Hey, hey, what're you all waiting for? Let's go!" Uo said excitedly.

"Can't you see there're a lot of people!" Kyo shouted, already losing his temper.

"What! Are you afraid of people or something!" she shouted back as she pushed him.

"Oh! Kyo-kun!" Tohru cried in horror.

"Kyo!" Yuki yelled.

"Watch out!" Sayora shouted

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Kyo screamed as he fell toward a girl.

WAM!

Everyone stopped where they were and turned around to see the girl on the ground. It was completely silent.

"Owwww!" she cried, holding her head. "What was _that _for Kyo-kun!"

Kyo look petrified as he held onto the wall for support. Sayora, Yuki, and Tohru were petrified too.

"That was mean!" the girl scolded him. "Why'd you push me!"

As Kyo was falling, he had literally knocked, not pushed, but _knocked_ the girl in the opposite direction.

"Shut up! You were in the way!" Kyo shouted at her.

"Aww, Kyon's too shy to apologize!" one of the boys teased.

"Let it go," another one of the guys said to the girl. "He's never gonna say _sorry_."

"Hmph!" She got up. "Fine, I'll forgive you _this_ time, just because you're Souma-kun's cousin!"

"Ah," Kyo snapped out of his daze the moment he heard her mention Yuki. "What the hell does _he_ have to do with anything! He's just some girly little—"

Yuki punched him to the other side of the classroom before he got to finish his sentence.

"Stop provoking him all the time," Sayora suggested. "You get slugged by this he-she every time." She quickly dodged Yuki's punch. "At least learn how to block or dodge or something." Suddenly, Sayora flew halfway to the ceiling and crashed back down.

"Like _you're_ one to talk you damn idiot" Kyo growled.

"What the hell Yuki! I was trying to make a damn point!" Sayora shouted.

"You can make a point without saying that I'm a _he-she_," Yuki replied calmly.

"I'm just telling the truth," she mumbled.

It abruptly went silent and still for the next couple minutes.

"The bus is leaving," Hana said.

It took a few minutes before those words actually registered in everyone's mind.

"Oh my god! The bus is leaving!" Tohru repeated as everyone dashed out of the classroom and to the bus.

"Now look what you've done!" Kyo blamed.

"How is this my fault! You were the one that started it all!" Sayora shouted.

"Fine! It's all Yuki's fault!"

"What!" Yuki asked. "You're the one who doesn't know when to shut up!"

"All of you shut up _now_!" Uo shouted.

"The bus is leaving! The bus is leaving! The bus is leaving! The bus is leaving!" Tohru kept panicking.

"We get the point already!" Kyo yelled as they finally made it out of the school just as the busses were pulling out.

"Oh my god! **The busses are leaving!**" Sayora screamed.

"Hurry!" Uo shouted.

"Tohru-kun?" Hana stopped halfway and looked back to see no one else behind her.

Everyone turned around.

"Where the hell did she go dammit!" Kyo fumed.

"Honda-san!" Yuki called.

"Go back! Go back! Go back! Go back! Go back!" Uo shouted as they all raced back into the school to look for Tohru who, they had guessed, had tripped and banged her head against the door. "Oi! Oi! Tohru! Get up! We're gonna miss the bus! C'mon! Are you two guys or what! Carry her!"

"C-carry her?" Yuki asked nervously, thinking of the zodiac curse.

"Hell no!" Kyo objected.

"_I'll_ carry her!" Sayora interrupted as she flung Tohru on her back and race back to the bus with the others.

-----Couple Minutes Later-----

The six collapsed down onto the seats, gasping for air.

"If… only you… and Yuki… weren't being so… goddamn stupid…!" Kyo said between breaths.

"Shut it… you goddamn idiot!" Sayora replied, also gasping for air. "I had… to carry… an anorexic girl… on my back… so I don't want… to hear you complain!"

"Like you're… one to talk!" Kyo shouted, finally catching his breath. "Look at you!"

"The bus is going to break down in exactly five minutes," Hana said, no one hearing her.

"What're you talking about? Sayora's twice your size!" Uo shouted at Kyo.

"Would you two stop arguing?" Yuki asked, trying to keep from beating the two up. "Everyone's looking at us."

"Hey, I'm not fat! I'm just not skinny!" Sayora yelled.

"Then what the hell's the difference!" Kyo asked. "If you're not skinny and you're not fat, then you're fat!"

"How the hell does _that_ work!" Uo and Sayora shouted at the same time.

"Hey!" Yuki yelled. "Would you all stop arguing!"

"Shut up you damn hermaphrodite!" Sayora shouted.

"He's not a hermaphrodite! He's a girl!" Kyo argued.

"I said shut—ugh!"

The bus jerked to a stop, cutting Yuki off halfway through his threat. Tohru, who was currently knocked out, rolled off of the bus seat and down the isle. Everyone paled.

"To-Tohru!" Uo called after her as she ran down to retrieve her.

"Honda-san!"

The other four followed.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Everyone was back in their seats. Rolling down the isle had finally woken Tohru up.

"All right, I have some bad news kids!" the bus driver announced. "The bus broke down. We're gonna be stuck here for a while."

"WHAT!" everyone whined.

"The bus broke down!" Tohru started to panic.

"I told you so," Hana said.

"No you didn't!" Kyo argued.

"_Yes I did,_" she said.

"O-okay… you did…"

"Listen up! We're gonna cram everyone into the other bus," the driver informed. "Let's go everyone!"

All of the students simultaneously whined and filed out and onto the other bus. The three Soumas stood frozen in spot twitching nervously.

"Does anyone else see the problem with this?" Sayora muttered.

"Why the hell does this always happen!" Kyo shouted angrily.

"P-please calm down Kyo-kun!" Tohru pleaded nervously.

"Let's go before the bus leaves!" Uo suggested as she dragged Tohru off the bus with Hana following her.

"B-but—w-wait!" they could hear Tohru stammer.

"Well…?" Sayora asked.

"This really _is_ a problem…" Yuki replied with a sigh.

"Like that isn't already obvious enough!" Kyo shouted at him.

"Alright, we're going," Sayora cut them off and she grabbed their shirts and dragged them to the other bus.

"Wha? But—" Yuki started to argue.

"Are you friggin crazy!" Kyo practically screamed at her.

"We've always got Hatori for back up," she said casually.

"W-wait you damn wolf!"

----Few Moments Later-----

The Soumas safely got to their seats on the bus. Sayora sat with Tohru, Uo, and Hana to avoid transforming. Kyo and Yuki squeezed themselves in with their guy friends. After a long one and a half hour ride, they finally arrived at Kyoto.

"Wow! What nice weather!" Tohru exclaimed as she stretched.

"The bus is going to leave at five! Meet back here by that time!" the teacher ordered.

"I wonder where we should go!" Tohru said to herself excitedly. "There're so many great stores in Kyoto!"

"We're _not_ going anywhere crowded!" Kyo quickly said.

"Geez, you _that_ scared of people?" Uo asked.

"I'm not scared of people!"

"Um... incase no one's noticed, we _are_ at one of old-fashioned places…" Sayora pointed out, shutting everyone up. "There're barely any people left _alive_ here…"

"W-well… at least we can still go shopping," Tohru replied, trying to be optimistic.

"The only kind of shopping we'll get done here is antique shopping."

"There're other shops around here too, aren't there?" Yuki asked.

"Sure, if you're into teddy bears," she replied.

"Ha! Of course he's into—"

"Duck," Sayora said as a fist landed in Kyo's face.

"Whooooooaaaa, nice shot!" complimented Uo enthusiastically.

"Oh my god! Kyo-kun!" Tohru cried worriedly.

"Give it up Tohru…" Sayora sighed.

"That's right," Hana agreed. "A cat has nine lives."

The Soumas and Tohru froze in horror.

"Is something wrong?" Hana asked as she looked at them.

"W-whadda ya mean _cats_?" Sayora asked nervously.

"A figurative comment," she replied as a mysterious wind blew.

"What the hell is going on?" Uo mumbled to herself. "Anyway, anyone wanna go see what's going on around town?"

"Yes!" Tohru exclaimed excitedly. "I can't wait to see their souvenir shops! I heard they have the cutest things!"

…_Great…_ Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora thought.

"That's right!" Uo agreed. "A friend of mine bought me this cute teddy bear that I've just been in love with!"

The Soumas' mouths hung open, yet again.

"What!" Uo asked threateningly, pretty much able to anticipate what was coming.

"_You? Teddy bear? **Cute?**_" Kyo asked.

"What about it?" she questioned with a vein on her head as it went silent for a few seconds. Then, Kyo burst out laughing.

"Bwahaha—that's so—hahaha—girly for a yankee—hahahahaha—like you—hahahahaha!" he managed to say between his laughs. "It's like—hahaha—a guy saying—haha—he wants to be—hahaha—a princess! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"Shut the hell up!" Uo shouted as she punched Kyo right into a tree.

"Oh—"

"My god! Kyo-kun!" Sayora shouted in concern with a straight face, finishing Tohru's statement for her.

Everyone stared at her, wondering what the hell was going on. Even Kyo automatically recovered when he heard her.

"What?" Sayora asked.

"Don't… _ever_ do that again…" Kyo said.

"Especially with a straight face," Uo agreed.

"Just saving Tohru the effort," she replied.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Everyone had decided to get something to eat before they did any shopping.

"Let's eat sukiyaki!" Tohru suggested.

"_Is_ there a sukiyaki restaurant around here?" Yuki asked as he looked around.

"Should be…" Sayora replied. "I mean, this place can't be _that_ old."

"Aha! There it is!" Tohru announced as they came to a stop in front of it.

Everyone paled as a sweat drop formed on their heads.

"It looks haunted…" Kyo said.

"Yes, I too, feel there is something ominous about this place…" Hana replied, causing everyone to grow even paler, a shiver running through their bodies.

"I-I'm sure it can't be that bad," Tohru assured, plastering a nervous smile on her face.

"Yes, of course there's nothing wrong here," Hana said.

"Make up your mind!" Kyo shouted.

"_You_ were the one who said there was something ominous…" Uo trailed off, responding to Hana's comment.

After a few minutes, they all decided to go eat somewhere else.

"Hey, there's an okinamiyaki restaurant," Yuki said.

"It smells so nice…" Tohru replied. "Let's eat here!"

Everyone walked in.

"Welcome!" the owner greeted with a huge smile. "Oh my, well aren't _you_ all young! What can I get you guys? Sake?"

"S-s-s-s-s-sake!" Tohru panicked. "B-b-but we can't! We're only still in high school!"

"Ahaha! I was only joking! Young people these days have no sense of humor these days!"

Uo, Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora sighed.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Everyone finally received their orders that they went through much trouble to place.

"Man oh man this looks good!" Uo said excitedly.

"Yes, it does!" Tohru agreed as they all dug in.

"This is really good!" Yuki complimented.

"What's in this old man?" Uo asked with her mouth full.

"**Dog meat!**" the owner replied with a smile.

-----Few More Moments Later-----

They all gave up on eating after spitting out their food and scratching at their tongues to get every last bit of the dog meat out.

"U-um… let's go shopping instead," Tohru tried to be enthusiastic.

"That was disgusting!" Sayora said.

"Damn right," Kyo replied.

"Who knew they'd use dog meat in a place like this…" Uo joined in on the conversation.

"I knew," Hana said as everyone turned to stare at her. "That's why I didn't eat it."

"Why didn't you tell _us_!" Kyo, Uo, and Sayora screamed at her.

"Just drop the topic…" Yuki said tiredly. "I'd rather not think about it anymore."

"I know, right?" Sayora agreed. "Eating dog meat is like eating Shigure…"

Yuki and Kyo gagged. Tohru sweat dropped, looking a bit disturbed.

"Shigure-san?" Uo asked. "Why _him_?"

Tohru and the Soumas froze in spot, trying to think up of an excuse.

"U-u-um!" Tohru stuttered, getting her two friends' attention. "L-look! A souvenir shop!"

"Ooh! You're right! Let's go in!" Uo replied.

-----Hour Later-----

Surprisingly, Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora were having a good time looking at all of the things in the shop even though Kyo pretended not to.

"Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, Sayora-san! Look at this!" Tohru called as she ran over to them with a teddy bear in her hands. "Isn't this cute?"

"Yes, it's very cute Honda-san," Yuki replied with a smile.

"You want it or something?" Sayora asked as she took it from Tohru and looked at it.

"Oh no! I'll pay for it Sayora-san!" Tohru quickly said.

"Oh? What was that Kyo? You'll pay for Tohru? That's so nice of you!" Sayora said loudly as she passed the teddy bear to him.

"Wh-wha?" Kyo was confused. "When the hell did I say—"

"Really Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked. "That's so nice of you! But I really shouldn't… after all, it _is_ mine…"

The look on Tohru's face made him give in.

"D-don't worry about it!" Kyo said, trying not to blush. "I've got it."

Sayora laughed to herself. _So easy to manipulate_ she thought.

"I'm surprised he's _actually_ paying for her," Yuki said.

"You both are softies when it comes to Tohru," Sayora replied to him, making him blush.

"Wha—"

"No arguing!"

Yuki settled down.

"Thank you so much Kyo-kun!" Tohru thanked as he handed her the bag.

"Oi! Oi! Look at this!" they heard Uo call to them excitedly. "The Red Butterfly!"

"Waaaaa! You're right Uo-chan!" Tohru quickly went to her to look at the jacket.

"How mysterious…" Hana commented as everyone gathered around the jacket.

"What's _The Red Butterfly_?" Sayora asked.

"You don't know about that?" Uo asked. "It was Kyoko-san's gang name!"

"Kyoko?"

"Yes! My mother!" Tohru replied with a huge smile.

Sayora kept her shock to herself. _**Tohru's** mom? In a **gang**?_

"Man! I'm so getting this!" Uo exclaimed excitedly.

"Tch! Big deal!" Kyo moaned.

"Of course it's a big deal!"

As the two argued, Sayora looked up to see a little girl staring at her from the doorway. When she saw Sayora look at her, she ran off.

_N-no way…_ Sayora thought, her eyes wide with shock.

"You wanna start something!" Uo asked threateningly.

"Bring it on yankee!" Kyo shouted.

No one noticed Sayora as she slipped away from the group and right out of the store, following the girl she had seen.

-----Ten Minutes Later-----

Tohru looked around, finally noticing that Sayora wasn't with them.

"Um…" she said quietly, bringing an abrupt halt to Uo and Kyo's argument. "Did anyone see where Sayora-san went?"

"Come to think of it…" Yuki replied as he also looked around. "I thought she was a bit quiet…"

"She's quick," Uo commented.

"That stupid idiot probably wandered off somewhere," Kyo said unworriedly.

"No… she's separated, lost… wandering in the unknown abyss of this pla—"

"Okay! Okay!" Kyo shouted, cutting Hana off.

-----Sayora-----

_It **couldn't** have been!_ Sayora thought as she ran after the child. _There's just… no way…_

_-----Five Years Ago----- _

_There was panic everywhere in the Souma Main House. The sky was dark and it was thundering hard. Rain poured from the sky like an endless waterfall as everyone scurried around, not knowing what to do. Tears streamed down Sayora's face as she hugged the small girl in her arms tightly. _

_Suddenly, two people pried Sayora's arms loose and shoved her to the side as the girl's mother picked up her daughter's motionless body, crying, knowing that there was nothing anyone could do as she ran off to get help, holding onto a flicker of fake hope. Sayora called out to the girl, running after her mother, but Hatori grabbed her and pulled her to him. She struggled against him, reaching one hand out as far as it would go toward her friend while trying to pry Hatori's arm off of her with the other, screaming… crying… but Hatori held onto her tightly, not letting her out of his arm. After they were both out of sight, she stopped screaming._

_Hatori finally loosened his hold as Sayora slumped down in his arm. He knelt down completely beside her. She turned around and clutched his coat, burying her face into his chest, tears flowing out of her eyes endlessly as she sobbed and whimpered loudly…_

Sayora followed the little girl out of the town and to a small bamboo forest. Her heart was racing, and it wasn't from all the running. She was in pain. For years, she had completely shut that memory out, but now, that little girl showed up to remind her.

"Asaru!" Sayora called before the girl could run any further. The girl turned around to look at her shyly. "Are you… are you Souma Asaru?"

The child stepped back a bit, staring at Sayora nervously.

"I'm Sayora! Souma Sayora!" she said anxiously. "Do you remember me?"

She didn't respond in any way.

"Hanako-chan! Let's go!" a woman called as the girl looked over to her and back at Sayora.

"Ah!" Sayora looked down sadly, then looked up with a smile. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else…"

She watched the child run to her mother and turned around. It was getting a bit late and the buses were going to leave soon.

_Shit…_ Sayora thought._ Where the hell am I?_

-----Tohru and Friends-----

"It's already 4: 35," Yuki said.

"Where the hell did she go dammit!" Kyo shouted in frustration.

"Maybe we should split up or something…" Uo suggested. "Kyon can go alone."

"Shut up yankee! It's her stupid fault for walking off in the first place!"

"Must you always sound so disgusting?" Yuki asked.

"And do you always have to sound so girly?" he countered.

"Ahh! P-please don't argue!" Tohru quickly pleaded, sensing a fight coming on. "We have to find Sayora-san before the bus leaves!"

"That way," Hana said, pointing to the right.

"R-really?" Yuki asked.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Uo replied as she ran the way Hana pointed.

-----Ten Minutes Later-----

They were in a book store. Everyone followed Hana who walked over to the 'mystery' section and started searching the shelf.

"Oi… what're you doing?" Uo asked Hana who took a book off of the shelf.

"I've been waiting for this book for a while now," she replied as everyone fell over.

"What about Sayora?" Yuki asked with a sweat drop.

"I don't know," Hana answered. "I don't sense her waves."

"O-oh no! What if… what if Sayora-san is—!" Tohru panicked, jumping to unreasonable conclusions.

"I highly doubt that Honda-san," Yuki assured.

"Tch! She's not dead. She looks like a frickin body builder or something," Kyo added on, making everyone twitch at the thought of Sayora with that kind of body build. "Anyone who looks at her would probably drop down dead first."

"Um… it's 4:47…" Tohru interrupted, sounding worried. "What should we do?"

"The bus is gonna leave in thirteen minutes," Uo said to herself. "There's not much time. Maybe splitting up _is_ a good idea…" She thought to herself for a couple minutes before speaking up again. "Alright, I'll go with Hanajima and Tohru. We'll meet back at the bus at five. Later!"

Hana and Uo left dragging Tohru behind them, leaving Kyo and Yuki's mouths wide open.

"E-eh! W-wait!" they could hear Tohru beginning to object as the door shut.

"Goddamn it! Why am I _always_ stuck with this goddamn rat!" Kyo shouted in anger as everyone in the library turned to look at the two of them, embarrassing Yuki greatly.

"I hate you too," Yuki said as he walked past Kyo and out of the store.

-----Uo, Hana, and Tohru-----

"Maybe she went back to that souvenir place…" Uo said.

"We should go check," Tohru suggested.

When they arrived, they went in and looked around.

"She's not here…" Tohru trailed off worriedly.

Uo elbowed Hana. "Say something," she whispered.

"Don't worry Tohru-kun," Hana said comfortingly. "Right now, she may be on her way to the hospital with broken bones. Or perhaps she may be dying somewhere all alone in the dark, but that's right Tohru-kun. There's no need to worry. No need at all."

Tohru was about to faint thinking of all the possibilities.

"But! But that can't be! She was still alive only a few minutes ago!"

Uo slapped a hand to her head and sighed with a sweat drop.

"Look, maybe she's already waiting at the bus," she said.

Hana and Uo lead Tohru out of the souvenir shop, but on halfway out the door, the alarm sounded.

"Shoplifters!" the owner yelled as he picked up the phone and called the cops.

"Eh! Sh-sh-sh-shoplifters? That's terrible!" Tohru panicked.

"Trouble," Hana predicted.

-----Kyo and Yuki-----

"We've already passed this place three times, stupid cat," Yuki said, looking at Kyo lamely.

"I was following _you_, you damn rat!" Kyo argued.

"What're you talking about? You were walking ahead of me."

"No I wasn't."

"Yes you were. We were supposed to find Sayora and now we're lost too thanks to _you_."

"What the hell do you mean thanks to _me_! _You_ were the one who went left instead of right **three times in a row**!"

"And you followed me."

"So you're admitting that this is all _your _fault!"

"No, I'm not because this was all _your_ fault."

"How is it _my_ fault!"

"I just told you how it was your fault. You got us lost."

"No I didn't!"

-----Meanwhile-----

"We'll hear your story down at the station," the police said as he and two other officers constricted Hana, Uo, and Tohru.

"B-b-b-but! I SWEAR WE'RE NOT THIEVES! WE WOULDN'T DARE STEAL ANYTHING FROM ANYONE! PLEASE BELIEVE US!" Tohru begged the officers.

"Yeah! We're here on a school trip!" Uo tried to explain.

"I don't wanna hear any excuses!" the police said.

"BUT WE REALLY DIDN'T! I SWEAR!" Tohru panicked.

"You've already said that."

"Maybe I should use my…" Hana trailed off in a creepy voice, sending a shiver down the cops' spines.

"BUT YOU CAN'T! THAT WOULD BE REALLY BAD!" Tohru continued to freak out.

"Settle down already! We're takin you down to the station!"

Uo growled in irritation. "We said we didn't DO IT!" she shouted as she tackled the three cops holding them. "Let's go!" Hana and Uo raced out while dragging a panicking Tohru behind them.

"OH NO! WE JUST ATTACKED POLICE OFFICERS! THIS IS TERRIBE! WHAT SHOULD WE DO!"

"Stop shouting and just run!" Uo yelled.

"Soumas," Hana informed. "Up ahead."

Sure enough, a few seconds later, they ran into Yuki and Kyo who were _still_ arguing. The three girls ran right through them.

"What the hell!" they could hear Kyo scream at them.

"E-eh? H-Honda-san?" Yuki was confused.

"Run!" the two heard Uo tell them. They were even more confused now.

"_Run_?" Yuki repeated.

Suddenly, they heard pounding footsteps and shouting behind them. They turned around to see about a dozen policemen stampeding toward them.

"W-what's going on!" Yuki asked as he and Kyo took off. They quickly caught up to the girls.

"What the hell happened!" Kyo shouted.

"Shut up and just run!" Uo shouted back.

-----Meanwhile-----

"What? That's not cool!" one of the guys said.

"Yeah, you can't just walk up and tell her!" another guy said.

"You gotta buy her flowers and ask her confidently!"

"And if she still won't go with you, then you gotta take it a step higher than that and buy her something more expensive!"

"Yeah, and if she _still_ won't go with you, _then_ you're screwed! Haha! Right Sawaki?"

"Yeah!"

"Aughh! Shut up already! You're making me nervous!"

The guys laughed.

"Huh?" Sawaki suddenly stopped laughing, thinking that he had just seen someone familiar in the bamboo forest around him. _Was that…_ _Sayora-san?_

"Sawaki?" one of his friends called. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied.

"Alright man, let's get back to the bus. It's already five."

His three friends started to go back, but Sawaki didn't move.

"Sawaki?"

"You guys go on ahead," he replied as he started walking the other way. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Hurry up!" another one of his friends yelled to him as they all left for the bus.

Sawaki went into the bamboo forest to look for Sayora.

_I **know** I saw her in here…_ he thought as he looked around. _Ah! There she is!_

"Sayora-san!" he called as she turned around.

"Sawaki!" Sayora replied in a surprised tone. "What're you doing here?"

"I followed you! Do you know what time it is? You're going to be late for the bus back," he said. Sayora didn't reply. "Or… don't tell me… you got lost?"

"Shut up! I was following someone!" she shouted.

"Well, well, well," Sawaki said in a sly tone. "Don't worry Sayora-san, your secret is safe with me!"

"What secret!"

"You're a **stalker!**" he declared as she fell over.

"Well look who's talking!" Sayora yelled as Sawaki laughed.

"Alright, alright, calm down. I was only kidding Sayora-san," Sawaki said with a smile. "Need help getting back to the bus?"

Sayora gave in. _I can't keep up with him…_

"Yeah…"

-----Couple Minutes Later-----

Sawaki and Sayora were about to get on the bus when suddenly, they heard shouting and stampeding behind them. They turned around to see Uo, Hana, Kyo, and Yuki who knocked them right out of the way.

"W-what the hell was that!" Sayora shouted angrily.

"Ow…" Sawaki said shakily. "You sure got interesting relatives there Sayora-san…"

-----On the Bus-----

Kyo grabbed Sayora by the shirt threateningly.

"You stupid goddamn wolf!" he growled, his eyes glowing red.

"What the hell did I do!" Sayora demanded to know.

"Thanks to you, we got chased twenty goddamn miles by the cops!"

"R-really?" Sayora asked with a sweat drop. "Wait a minute! How the hell is that _my_ fault!"

"If you hadn't gone off, we wouldn't have gone out to look for you!"

"Even so, why the hell did cops chase you!"

"Because!" Kyo paused. "Because…" he couldn't think up of anything. "It was all _your_ goddamn fault!" he turned to Uo.

"What?" Uo asked.

"_You_ were the one that brought the cops!"

"Quiet," Hana suggested.

"How!" Uo shouted, paying no attention to her friend's warning.

"I don't know how! You just did cuz they were chasing you!"

"You wanna start something with me!"

"Tch! You wanna fight me yankee!"

"**Shut up or you'll both regret it!**" the teacher threatened as the two of them settled down immediately.

The bus was suddenly quiet. After a few minutes, Tohru spoke up.

"Come to think of it Sayora-san, where did you go?" she asked curiously.

Sayora became serious, surprising Tohru. "I thought I saw someone familiar…"

"Who?" Yuki wondered.

"… Souma Asaru…" she answered with the same serious look on her face as shocked expressions came to Kyo and Yuki's face.

"Eh?" Tohru wanted to know more. "Who's Asaru-san?"

"She was… my best friend…"

It was once again silent. _Was?_ Tohru asked herself. _But that means that… Asaru-san isn't alive anymore… oh no! Maybe I shouldn't have asked! I mean, what if it was really personal to Sayora-san! What if I offended her!_ "I'm sorry Sayora-san!" she unexpectedly apologized with a guilty look on her face. "It… it wasn't my place! I shouldn't have been so rude!"

"Hey, hey! Relax!" Sayora quickly said. "It's no biggie! Really!"

"I'm sorry…" Tohru apologized one last time as it grew silent yet again.

"Hey! What's up with the depressed mood! Cheer up! Sayora and Kyon are making out!"

"EEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Tohru freaked out.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" Sayora and Kyo shouted at the same time.

Yuki sighed. _This is getting old…_

-----Forty-Five Minutes Later-----

"We're back!" Tohru announced as the four of them walked into the house.

"So, how was the trip? Fun?" Shigure asked cheerfully.

"Yes! Very!" she answered happily.

"So, so! Did you guys bring me back a souvenir?" he asked jumping up and down excitedly.

"**No!**" Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora replied coldly.

Shigure broke down and cried. "That's so mean!" he whined. "Tohru-kun… you got me something, didn't you?" he hoped.

Tohru didn't reply. She didn't want to tell him that she completely forgot.

"U-um, of course I did Shigure-san!" she said. "H-here!"

Shigure gratefully took the bag. "I _knew_ you weren't mean like Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun, and Sayora-chan! What's in here?" he looked inside to see three sticks of candy that were _supposed_ to be Tohru's. "Yay! I love these! Thank you so much Tohru-kun!"

"Stop exaggerating or I'm going to puke," Sayora said.

"Honda-san, when did you buy that candy?" Yuki asked cluelessly.

"Oh… well… um…"

"Oh! What a cute teddy bear!" Shigure exclaimed, looking in Tohru's other bag.

"Stop sounding like that damn rat!" Kyo shouted as he immediately got pummeled.

"What'd you say? Don't you **_ever_** compare me to him," Yuki said, his eyes glowing blood red.

"Aw! That's so mean Yuki-kun! Tohru-kun, Yuki-kun's being mean to me!" Shigure whined to her.

"O-oh! Um! It'll be okay Shigure-san! Please don't be sad!" Tohru pleaded.

"You have no pride!" Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora yelled at him.

"Now they're _all_ being mean!"

"**_Shigure!_**" they threatened.

"Haha! Anyway, thanks for the candy Tohru-kun! Let me go put these away!" Shigure said as he walked out of the living room. However, instead of going straight to his room, he stopped in front of the phone and picked it up with a malevolent look on his face, smirking.

"_What took you so long!"_ an irritated voice demanded after beingleft on hold for a long time.

"My apologies Akito-san," he replied.

"_Hmph! Whatever,"_ Akito said. _"How much longer Shigure? Hasn't it been long enough? How much longer do we have to wait for that wolf!" _

"Wait just a bit longer," Shigure said calmly as his face grew darker. "… Her time will come soon enough…"

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 16- The Wolf of the Zodiac

Rin comes over to visit Shigure and unexpectedly finds Sayora there. Despite the fact that they're best friends, her sharp tongue doesn't dull a single bit as she says things that will put Sayora's strength to the test… especially when she reveals the secret connection between the wolf and god, and the reason why the wolf is a cursed loner who was cast outside the zodiac… will Sayora break under Rin's pressure… or can she withstand it all?


	16. The Wolf of the Zodiac

**dna- **ok...i am **REALLY _REEEEEAAAALLY _**srry that it took so long to get dis chap out! n thanx to every1for being patient! i already said dis, but i tried to update for 2 whole weeks before i went to thailand but for sum reason, the dumb site wouldnt let me update! i really really **_REALLY_** srry! ill get the next one out as soon as ican but i cant be sure when cuz my aunts (who didnt go to thailand) wants to go to the beach... so yea... all the same, im gonna try to get the next chap out asap! thanx!

**Hopeless Chapter 16- The Wolf of the Zodiac**

It was one of those boring afternoons for everyone in Shigure's house. The weather was nice, but there was absolutely nothing to do. Yuki and Sayora were absentmindedly staring at the television which had some random show on. Shigure was reading the newspaper as he normally did. Tohru was in the kitchen washing the dishes, humming to herself while Kyo laid on his side on the wooden floor beside the opened back sliding door, staring outside. No one said anything.

"Arrrghhh!" Kyo growled in irritation as he rolled on his back. "Can this day get anymore goddamn _boring_!"

No one replied. It was as if he hadn't said a thing. A gentle breeze blew into the house as the silence continued. After a few minutes, Tohru walked out of the kitchen with a smile. As soon as she did, she heard the front door slide open.

"Oh… I'll go see who it is," she said.

"Thank you Tohru-kun," Shigure replied without looking up from the paper.

They heard Tohru begin to greet their guest. "Oh, hello Is—"

"Move," the familiar voice ordered, causing everyone to look up.

"Is that…" Yuki trailed off. His question was quickly answered when the person entered the living room. "Rin."

The moment she entered the room, her and Sayora's shocked eyes immediately met. Rin was taken back, speechless about suddenly meeting her best friend after Sayora had disappeared almost a year ago from the Main House without a word. Tohru joined the others in the living room as they all watched the two stare at each other in shock. Yuki wanted to say something, but he kept quiet.

"I…Izu…" Sayora stuttered out as Rin quickly tried to regain her posture.

"Hmph," was her reply. "So, this is where you ran off to."

"Ah…" Tohru was starting to get nervous. Kyo sat up.

"We need to talk," Rin said to Shigure.

"Hmm? Right _now_?" he asked with a smile. "Why don't you spend some time with Sayora-chan? You two haven't seen each other in a while now, right? Why don't you take her up to your room so you guys can catch up a bit Sayora-chan?"

"W-wha? Let go Shigure!" Sayora demanded as he dragged both her and Rin up the stairs.

"Let go of me!" Rin yelled.

"It looks like he's tryin to rape them…" Kyo muttered in disgust.

"R-rape!" Tohru already began to panic.

"He's just being stupid Honda-san," Yuki replied with a vein popping out of his head. "Don't pay any mind to him."

"What?" Kyo growled as Tohru tried to stop the start of another argument.

"I said you're a stupid cat," Yuki repeated.

"You wanna start a fight with me!" Kyo asked.

"No, I don't."

"Ha! So you're admitting you're too scared!"

"No, I'm admitting I'm too _good_."

"Too good my ass! I'll beat you right now!"

"You already have. In _stupidity_."

Kyo growled. "Who're you callin stupid!"

"You, you stupid cat. Or were you not listening to me?"

"I _was_ listening!"

"Then stop asking me stupid questions, you stupid cat."

"Quit calling me stupid you damn rat!"

"Why? It's not wrong to call a stupid person stupid."

"Then why the hell're you callin me stupid!" Kyo demanded to know.

"You really _are_ a stupid cat," Yuki sighed, giving Kyo a lame look.

"What the hell are—"

Their argument came to an abrupt end when all three of them heard Rin angrily shouting at Shigure.

"If you don't leave me alone right now, I swear you'll regret it!"

"Oh no! Sh-should we go up and help?" Tohru asked worriedly, but before the two guys could say anything, they heard Shigure reply to Rin's threat.

"Oh? Then I guess you don't want to talk to me then."

"Don't play around with me!"

"If you don't spend some time with Sayora-chan, I won't listen to what you have to say."

"You—!"

"Deal!"

A couple seconds later, they saw Shigure bouncing down the stairs cheerfully.

"Was that a good idea Shiugre?" Yuki asked.

"Don't worry Yuki-kun, they'll be fine!" he replied.

"I meant _you_… she's going to kill you…"

"They sound like they don't get along very well…" Tohru said nervously.

"Haha!" Shigure laughed. "Believe it or not, those two are best friends!"

"Haaaa? Really!" she asked.

"That's hard to believe…" Kyo muttered.

"Just like how you and Yuki-kun are actually the bestest friends in the world! Right?" Shigure teased. In an instant, he found half his body stuck through the wall.

"Don't _ever_ have that thought cross your mind again!" Yuki warned.

"Shigure-san! Are you alright! Oh no! Are you okay! Are you hurt!" came Tohru's barrage of worried questions. "Are you stuck!"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. But I _am_ stuck…"

-----Sayora and Rin-----

"It's… been a while…" Sayora said, trying to get rid of the silence.

Rin threw her a hard glare. "And who's fault do you think that is!"

"Heh… _thought_ you'd be pissed…"

"You disappeared without a word, just like the cowardly wolf you are!"

"As hurtful as always I see," Sayora replied calmly with a small sad smile. She had gotten used to Rin's harsh language a long time ago, but she never got used to the impact of her comments, even if she never meant anything much by them.

There was an awkward silence between them for a while.

"Izu… what is it?" Sayora asked when she noticed Rin studying her with concern. However, her concerned expression quickly returned to a hard, cold glare.

"I don't have to answer you!" she snapped. "I'm leaving!"

Sayora didn't attempt to stop her as she stomped out of the room, slamming the door hard. Everyone looked up at an angry Rin as she arrived in the living room.

"Ah! Isuzu-san! A-are you hungry?" Tohru stammered as Rin turned to her with a glare.

"Do I look hungry to you!" she asked threateningly.

"Oh! Um! Yes! I mean, no! I mean… uh!"

"Let's talk Rin!" Shigure suggested cheerfully. "Over this way! Let's go to my office!"

_He sounds like a rapist!_ Kyo and Yuki thought disgustedly as Shigure pulled Rin along with him out of the living room. _He **looks** like a rapist…_

While everyone stared after the two, Sayora joined them in the living room.

"What the hell was _that_?" she asked.

"_She's not hungry so let's go talk in my office_ is what's happening," Tohru informed happily.

"I see…" Sayora replied with a sweat drop on her head.

-----Shigure's Office-----

Shigure sat in his chair.

"Please, sit down," he offered to Rin.

_There's nowhere to sit…_ she thought as she looked at the floor littered with books and papers and random things.

"So… what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Shigure asked, facing away from Rin and at the novel he was working on at his desk.

Rin took a seat on the floor behind Shigure's chair, leaning against it. She didn't reply to his question right away. After a while of silence, she finally responded.

"You ha—"

"SENSEI!" a familiar voice screamed as his office door slammed open.

"Huh?" Shigure turned around to face his teary-eyed editor. "Oh, Mit-chan! It's so wonderful to see you again!"

"The deadline! The **deadline!**" Mit cried.

"Oh, but my arm hurts _so_ much I can't bear to write!" he playfully whined.

Rin sat there dumbfounded by what was going on. After all, some woman just suddenly barged in on the verge of breaking down, begging Shigure about some deadline.

"But I was talking to my relative who came all the way from England!" Shigure lied. "Won't you cut me some slack this time?"

Mit dropped to her knees on the floor in front of Rin and grabbed her shoulders.

"Please! _You_ understand! Don't you?" she asked. "_You _understand how important this deadline is, don't you? You can talk some other time, right? Right!"

"But she came from _England_!" Shigure repeated.

"Get the hell off of me!" Rin demanded as she tried to pry Mit's hands off of her shoulders.

"You _must_ understand!" Mit continued, tightening her grip.

"Mit-chan… please refrain from breaking my relative's shoulder bones…"

"Your hand! Move it! Pick up a pen and move it NOW!" Mit turned to Rin. "I'm _begging_ you! He's ruining my life! You can talk anytime at all but if the script doesn't get turned in today, I'm going to get fired!"

"I don't care! Get your goddamn hands off of me!" Rin shouted.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Rin stomped into the living room. Mit had somehow miraculously convinced her to leave Shigure's office.

"Oh! Um, Isuzu-san!" Tohru nervously said, afraid that she'd angry Rin again. "Um! Uh!"

"What!" she shouted, annoyed with her stuttering.

"What happened?" Sayora asked.

"Shigure's editor must've drove her out…" Yuki replied.

Sayora thought for a moment. "You mean that editor Hatori said he was teasing when we all left on that picnic?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Well how many goddamn editors do you want him to have?" Kyo asked.

"Shut up you dumb cat," Sayora said, containing her anger with a small vein on her head.

"Is anyone hungry yet?" Tohru asked.

"Oh, actually, yes Honda-san," Yuki answered.

"About time you asked," Kyo replied.

"What about you Sayora-san?" Tohru asked.

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry."

"And you Isuzu-san?"

"Stop asking me, you annoying little—"

"Oi, Izu!" Sayora called firmly, cutting her off. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"U-um…" Tohru didn't know if she should intervene or not.

"Honda-san, why don't you go ahead and start dinner?" Yuki suggested.

"B-but… what about…"

"Don't worry about them," Kyo said. "Just go."

"Okay…" Tohru replied hesitantly.

Kyo and Yuki turned their attentions back to a pissed off Rin who was glaring at a calm Sayora. Tohru went into the kitchen but couldn't help listening in on what was going on in the living room.

"What the hell're you staring at!" Rin demanded.

"I don't know what you're angry at, but don't take it out on Tohru," Sayora replied. "She didn't do anything to you."

"She's annoying the hell out of me!"

"How!" Sayora began to get mad as well.

"_How?_" Rin repeated. "Look at her! Sticking her dumb shit nose into our business thinking she can _heal_ us and break the curse! That bitch just made everything worse!"

Tohru's eyes widened in shock at what Rin said.

"Rin! That's going too far!" Yuki yelled.

"Don't call her a bitch you—!" Kyo warned but was cut off.

"Hmph! Why! Because you both think you can _love_ her and _protect_ her!" she continued. "Look at how much Akito already did to her! She's only in the way!"

"Stop it Izu!" Sayora shouted. "That's enough!"

"Why should I!"

"This is why I hate you! You don't know when enough is enough!"

"If you hate me so much, then why don't you **run away** like you always do!"

The unexpected comment caused Sayora to shut up. She didn't know how to reply to that. Rin smirked.

"What's wrong?" she taunted. "Scared that everyone will find out you're nothing but a little spineless wolf who always runs away from everything with your tail between your legs!"

"Shut the hell up!" Sayora shouted.

"Because you know it's true?"

"I said shut the hell up!"

"My, my," came Shigure's voice. "Arguing are we?"

"Shigure…" Yuki said. "What's she doing?"

Mit was clinging… no, glued onto Shigure's leg to prevent him from escaping off somewhere. "Sensei!" she cried. Everyone sweat dropped.

"Shigure, just give her the script…" Sayora said, feeling sorry for the tortured editor.

"Awww," Shigure whined. "But then I'll be bored!"

"I'll kill you so give her the damn script!"

"Waaaah!" he cried as he jumped and clung to Kyo's back with Mit still clinging on his leg. "Sayora-chan is so scary!"

A couple veins popped out of Kyo's head. "Get off my damn back you disgusting old man!" he shouted as he tried to throw Shigure off.

_I can't believe this…_ Yuki thought with a sweat drop as he watched them.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Mit went home after Shigure had finally given her the script that had been completed for over a week. Since morning, the house was finally quiet again as they all waited for Tohru to finish making dinner in the kitchen.

"That was fairly entertaining," Shigure said satisfactorily with a smile.

"I pity your editor very much," Sayora replied.

Rin was sitting at the living room table, annoyed with pretty much everything. She came here to talk to Shigure, but it seemed that he had no intention of doing that anytime soon.

"Dinner's ready!" Tohru announced happily as she came in with the food. Yuki got up.

"Here, let me give you a hand with that Honda-san," he offered.

"Oh, thank you very much," she thanked.

"Kyo-kun, why don't you get the rice for Tohru-kun," Shigure said.

"What! Why me!" Kyo yelled.

Shigure looked at him sadly and sighed. "Tohru-kun worked so diligently to make this delicious dinner for us. All I asked was for you to get the rice. I suppose the Tohru-kun will have to get that for us too. She must be so tired, but I understand that you must be tired too, from sitting on your butt all day long that is, waiting for her to cook your meals. Look at what a man Yuki-kun is being. But I suppose you're just heartless, so what do you care about our gorgeous flower… oh how I feel so sorry for Tohru-kun!"

"Fine, fine! I'll get the dumb rice so shut the hell up dammit!" Kyo shouted as he got up.

Shigure laughed to himself. "So easy to manipulate."

"Look, a porno magazine," Sayora said.

"WHERE!" Shigure asked, getting pounded on the head by Sayora right away.

"Look who's talkin you disgusting perv," she replied with a vein on her head.

After all the food was set, everyone gathered around the table and began to eat. Suddenly, Sayora and Kyo grabbed the same piece of pork with their chopsticks. The two glared at each other.

"I grabbed it first," Kyo said.

"What the hell're you talking about? _I_ grabbed it first," Sayora replied.

"What!" Kyo began to lose his temper. "What the hell makes you think you grabbed it first!"

"The fact that I grabbed it first you dumb cat!" Sayora shouted.

"Let go of the pork!"

"Watch out for Yuki's punch!" she quickly yelled as Kyo instinctively turned around to see no one there. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sayora yanked the pork from Kyo's chopstick the tossed it into her mouth.

"What the hell! That was unfair you damn wolf!" Kyo shouted.

"You're right Shigure. He's _so_ easy to manipulate."

"Hmph! Deceiving, just like the wolf you are," Rin said, throwing her a glare.

"Eh?" Tohru looked at Rin.

She smirked. "You never told them, did you? About the wolf and its role in the zodiac?"

Everyone's attention was now on Rin, wondering curiously about what she was talking about. A sweat rolled down Sayora's head in nervousness. Shigure looked at Sayora out of the corner of his eye. He had pretended not to know about the curse before.

"Izu…" Sayora said, trying to hint her to be quiet.

"The wolf actually played an important role in the zodiac as God's protector," Rin began, ignoring her friend completely. "The wolf was God's guardian; his best friend and advisor. The wolf never left God's side, and as thanks for always protecting him, God gave the wolf special powers,

but then the deceiving wolf got greedy and wanted to rule the animals. It turned against God and tried to kill him, starting a huge uproar. The wolf was just stupid for trying to pick a fight with God."

"Izu," Sayora said but was ignored again.

"The wolf couldn't beat God, and as punishment for betraying him, not only was the wolf cast outside the zodiac... he was cursed so that no one could approach him, forcing him to live a life in solitude."

"Izu."

"He couldn't make friends."

"Izu!"

"He was to live a suffering life."

"**Izu!**"

"Not only that, but—"

"**Stop!**"

"…What… but what…?" Tohru wondered, wanting to know more.

"There's nothing," Sayora replied.

"Really?" Rin asked. "They didn't even hear about how the cat got as cursed as it did. Why don't you tell them all? Tell them how the wolf deceived the cat and tricked it against God."

"How…?" Tohru asked, entranced by everything.

"The cat and the wolf were lovers, but despite that, the disgusting wolf used the cat's love for it to trick it into a trap. The cat tried to help the wolf, but when the cat got caught, it took all of the blame itself not wanting the wolf to get in trouble."

"I said shut up!"

"God knew about the love between the cat and the wolf, so after the wolf's plan to overthrow God failed, God punished the cat by casting it outside the zodiac and turning it into a monster, a monster so disgusting that the wolf couldn't accept him. As for the wolf, it was also cast outside the zodiac, but the other part of the curse was much worse."

"The curse… what was it?" Tohru asked, completely taken in.

"It was—"

"**IZU!**" Sayora shouted as she slammed her hand on the table and got up, knocking over the bowl of rice and spilling it on the floor. Everyone looked at her. She was trembling.

"What?" Rin asked coldly as she stood up and glared at Sayora. "Scared? Don't want anyone to find out? Why don't you get up and run? Run away, just like the wolf ran when God beat him! Run and beg for forgiveness you piece of shit!"

POW!

Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure were shocked speechless.

"Ah!" Tohru cried. "Isu… Isuzu-san!"

Sayora had punched Rin in the face. "Well guess what? **Fuck you Izu!**" She stomped out of the house and slammed the door shut, heading up to the roof. Sayora really needed to be alone. She wanted time to try and cool off.

The house was completely silent. Tohru didn't know what to say. Truthfully, she wanted to go after Sayora but fought against it.

-----Few Moments Later—Sayora-----

She was on the roof, lying down and staring at the starry sky.

_So it was all my fault that the cat was cursed the way it was, but she didn't need to go explaining everything to everyone!_

Sayora took a deep breath and calmed down.

_I haven't been that pissed off in a long time… but for the first time, I truly noticed how weak I was. Izu's right… I've just been running away from things. I was scared of people finding out about me and I just tried to make it all go away by avoiding it. Izu… she was probably trying to make me stop running by blocking my way, but she has to realize I'm not ready. And it's not like I'm the only one running. She's been running too… from Haru and from herself… she's scared too… _

-----Everyone Else-----

They had finished dinner silently except for Rin who went to Shigure's office. Yuki and Kyo were helping Tohru clean up the rice that had spilt on the floor. Without a word to anyone, Shigure walked to his office. Rin stayed silent as he sat in his chair, facing his desk with his back to her.

"Well… that was certainly unexpected," he said. "And that punch looked like it hurt." There was no reply from Rin. Shigure smiled. "To break Sayora-chan in front of everyone like that… she must be furious."

"…I didn't break her," Rin replied. "I wasn't trying to…"

"Oh?"

"Shigure-nii… you haven't been looking after her, have you?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" he replied. "I'm looking after her a lot, more than I was looking after Tohru-kun if I dare say."

"You're not scheming, are you? Using her in another one of your plans?" she continued. "She's not a pawn in your game of chess… is she?"

"No, she's not," Shigure answered as a smirk grew on his face. "She's much more than that, more like the queen."

"If she gets hurt because of you, I won't forgive you…"

"Scary words," he said unworriedly.

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 17- Kyo the Monster

Kyo's beads are off. He's transformed, and right in front of Sayora no less. How will Sayora react to this with everything going on? Will she reject him, or will she accept him? And how will Kyo react to all of this?


	17. Kyo the Monster

**dna-** ok... first things first... to my **angry** **reader** and everyone else... **I'M VERY SORRY!** its kinda a long story. my dad was home all summer, and he's really really strict. i cant use the laptop when he's home. hell i cant even stay stay in my room for more than 15 minutes without getting yelled at cuz he'll be all like "why arent you helping out around the house" or "why arent you staying downstairs with me?" oh yea, and on my second day of school, i was assigned 6 projects so yea... i'm _really_ sorry... feel free to yell at me and stuff... T-T sorry! i know it doesn't seem like it at all, but i really am getting these out as soon as possible...

**Hopeless Chapter 17- Kyo the Monster **

The sky was dark and it was pouring rain outside. Kyo was in the woods by himself in his true form, mentally yelling at himself for how stupid and careless he was. This was the second time… the _second time_ he had let this happen to him. First it was Tohru. Now… it was Sayora.

Kyo punched the ground. He was so stressed out… and scared…

-----Earlier Today-----

"Lunch is ready!" Tohru announced as she came out of the kitchen with the tray of food.

"Oh, thank you Honda-san," Yuki replied as he watched her lay out the lunch.

"It smells so nice," Shigure said as he turned to his backyard where Kyo and Sayora were sparing. "Kyo-kun, Sayora-chan, it's time for lunch! Come in and eat!"

The two had heard Shigure but were still fighting. They both caught each other's punch. Sayora attacked Kyo from below and threw a kick at him but he dodged.

"Kyo-kun! Sayora-chan!" he called again, but still earned no response.

Sayora jumped back to get some distance as Kyo ran at her, ready to throw a punch.

"I said **lunch is ready!**" Shigure yelled.

After Kyo's punched had been dodged, he grabbed Sayora's arm, leaving her partially undefended as he threw another punch that she quickly blocked.

"Don't be so obvious you stupid cat!" Sayora shouted as she swiftly maneuvered behind him to attack him from the side with a kick that Kyo easily deflected.

"Ha! Speak for yourself you dumb wolf!" Kyo taunted. "That was so predictable!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, two large stones flew at their heads.

"And _that_ was predictable too," Yuki said, returning the two glares with a calm look. "We're all hungry so stop fighting like the idiots you are."

"Well you didn't have to throw a rock at me!" Sayora shouted.

"You coulda cracked my goddamn head!" Kyo fumed.

"Don't worry," Yuki replied. "You're too dense for anything to even scratch it."

"**_What'd you say!_**"

"That was a very good one Yuki-kun," Shigure complimented.

"Don't think I won't say it again," Yuki said to Kyo.

"Uh oh… this isn't looking so good…" Tohru said worriedly.

"Take it back! I'm not dense!" Kyo shouted.

"Yes you are," Yuki replied.

"I said I'm not!"

"And I said you are."

A vein popped out of Sayora's head.

"Don't friggin ignore our fight!" she shouted as she jumped at him with a kick.

"Whoa!" Kyo cried in surprise as he quickly ducked down.

Sayora flew past him and right into the tree behind him.

Everyone sweat dropped.

"Oh my god!" Tohru immediately cried in concern as she got up.

"…Sayora…" Yuki said.

"What the hell was that!" Kyo shouted, finishing Yuki's thought.

-----Few Moments Later-----

They were _finally_ having lunch.

"Oh, Kyo-kun, would you like seconds?" Tohru asked, noticing that his bowl of rice was empty.

"Huh? Oh, sure. Thanks," Kyo replied, handing his bowl to her.

"Shigure-san, I almost forgot," Tohru said as she handed Kyo his rice. "Kagura-san asked me to tell you that she was coming over today."

"WHAT!" Kyo shouted, spitting out the rice he had in his mouth right at Sayora who sat across from him.

"Why?" Yuki asked as Sayora's chopsticks snapped in half, trying her best to contain her anger.

"No! I have to get outta here!" Kyo panicked, on his feet and ready to run.

"You're not going _anywhere_," Shigure replied, grabbing the collar of his shirt as he tried to get away.

"Kyo-kuuuuun!" they all heard Kagura's voice.

"Lemme go! Lemme go!" Kyo cried, unable to run away.

"Sorry Kyo-kun, but if I let you go, my house will pay the price," Shigure said as Kagura entered the living room.

"Oh, hello Kagura-san," Tohru greeted nervously.

"Here's Kyo-kun," Shigure said, handing him to her right away.

"Yay!" Kagura yelled joyously, latching herself to him. Kyo shivered. There was no escape now.

"Are you hungry?" Tohru asked. "Would you like eat Kagura-san?"

"Oh, yes! I haven't eaten Tohru-kun's food in a long time now!" she replied happily.

"Then I'll go warm the food up," she said as she got up and went into the kitchen.

"So what's up Kagura? You haven't visited in a while," Sayora said.

"Well, I've been real busy with college lately," Kagura answered. "I had a day off today and I didn't have anything to do, so I thought I'd come and see Kyo-kun!"

"You didn't have to!" Kyo replied irritatedly as he tried to break free from her.

"Huh? But you haven't seen me in such a long time."

"Trust me! I would've been fine!"

"Aww. Kyo-kun's _shy_!"

"I'm not _shy_! I'm _annoyed_!"

"Now, now Kyo-kun," Shigure said, afraid of what was coming.

"This isn't looking too great…" Yuki sighed.

"_Annoyed_?" Kagura repeated, starting to sound angry, making everyone twitch. "**_Annoyed!_** How dare you say you're **_annoyed_** with me!" She wrapped an arm around Kyo's neck and started to strangle him. "I'M YOUR LOVER! YOUR TO-BE WIFE! HOW **DARE** YOU SAY THAT YOU'RE **_ANNOYED_** WITH ME! IT'S TOO HEARTBREAKING!"

"No, it's not heartbreaking. It's _neck_ breaking…" Sayora said. "Kagura… if you keep this up, you're gonna be a _widow_, not a _wife_…"

"Hahaha," Shigure laughed. "Oh let them be Sayora-chan!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Kyo-kun must persevere! He must endure!"

"For?" Yuki asked.

"The sake of my house!" Shigure answered boldly as Yuki and Sayora looked at him lamely.

Finally, Tohru came out of the kitchen with a smile on her face and a tray of food in her hands.

"Kagura-san! Lunch is—"

She was cut short when a table flew right past her, inches away from hitting her face, and crashed into the wall.

"Kyo-kun! Hurry and apologize!" Shigure yelled.

"For what!" Kyo shouted, trying to stay alive.

"Ah. . . . ." Tohru was at a loss for words as she watched Kagura stomping on Kyo's back.

"If you don't apologize, my house is going to get hurt!" Shigure cried.

"Should we try to stop her?" Sayora asked Yuki.

"Why?" he asked. "I could care less about what happens to that stupid cat."

"Eh... heheh…" she laughed nervously with a sweat drop._ Ouch… ice cold…_

-----Few Moments Later-----

Kagura had finally calmed down, much to Shigure's relief. His house had suffered more than enough damage. He no longer had a table or a television. There was a hole in his wall where the table had smashed into it. The back sliding door had been shattered when the television crashed through it. Pieces of wood were still falling from the ceiling from a collision with Kyo. And as for his floor… it looked like what a minefield would look like with all of its mines stepped on. Kagura had chased Kyo around nearly the whole first floor of his house, throwing punches and kicks that landed on his floor instead of Kyo. They probably couldn't walk three steps in _any_ direction without falling head first into a pit hole if they weren't careful.

"My house…" Shigure said sadly.

"Oh my gosh! What happened to it? Who would do such a thing?" Kagura asked in shock.

"Who the hell do you think!" Kyo shouted.

"Shut up before you get her started up again, you stupid cat," Yuki warned.

"Um, should I call the repairman…?" Tohru asked no one in particular.

"What the hell! This is _not_ my fault!" Kyo yelled at Yuki. "It's all her!"

"What?" Kagura asked in disbelief when he pointed to her. "How can you say such a cruel—"

"**Both of you, clean up this mess,**" Shigure ordered, sounding pissed off.

Everyone twitched.

"Hey Yuki… I've never seen Shigure pissed off before…" Sayora said nervously.

"Me neither…" Yuki replied nervously as well.

"Shi-Shigure-san…?" Tohru called, starting to panic as usual.

"**I said CLEAN.**" Shigure glared at them.

"Okay, okay! Geez!" Kyo quickly replied.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Tohru, Sayora, and Yuki ended up helping clean up the mess… because of Tohru. Shigure had gone up to his room to continue on his novel. Everything was pretty much almost done. Yuki was helping Tohru patch up the door while Kyo was carrying out the broken table and television outside. Sayora and Kagura were picking up trash on the floor.

"Hey, Sayora-kun…" Kagura said.

"What?" she asked, noticing that she seemed hesitant.

"Do you…" she paused. "…Do you know about Kyo-kun?"

Sayora was confused. "Do I know _what_ about him?" she asked.

"I see… so you don't know," Kagura said.

"I don't know what?"

She smiled assuringly. "Never mind. It's nothing"

Even though Sayora was curious, she didn't say anything else and went back to cleaning. Kagura seemed to be deep in thought and Sayora couldn't help but worry a bit. After all, she didn't seem herself.

"Why aren't you helping Kyo?" she asked, not looking up. "What's wrong?"

It was a while before Kagura replied. "Well… I was wondering… back then, when we got into that big fight… what did you mean when you said…" she hesitated again. "…when you said that you _couldn't love_ Kyo-kun?"

Sayora went quiet. After a couple minutes had passed, Kagura started to regret asking her that question and began to clean again.

"It's always the same…" Sayora said as Kagura looked up confused. "It's always that **_stupid_** curse…"

Yuki and Tohru looked up at the two of them. Shigure, who had just arrived at the bottom of the stairs, stood halfway behind the door and looked at Sayora. The last part of that sentence had caught their ears.

"It's always_ in the way_… holding us back, binding us to a life that we don't want to live." A pained and stressed look was on Sayora's face. "Every time it's the same… **_unchanging_**."

Everyone was silent. Tohru's eyes widened at that word. She thought back to the time when they had met Akito at the summer house on their vacation before Sayora had joined them.

"_**All** of them… with me… same home… same path… always remaining the **same**… a **happy** future… an **endless banquet... unchanging…**"_

"—nda-san! Honda-san!"

Tohru was pulled out of her thoughts. Everyone was gathered around her, even Kyo who had just gotten back.

"What's wrong?" Kyo asked worriedly.

"Eh…?" Tohru still seemed out of it.

Shigure wiped away a tear from her cheek. She stared at his hand for a while before she touched her cheek with her own hand, just noticing that she had been crying.

"Uh… oh! Um… uh…" Tohru didn't know what to say as she quickly wiped the tears off of her face.

"You just suddenly went quiet and started to cry," Shigure said. "Are you alright?"

"Yes! I was just…" her voice became quiet. "… thinking…"

Everyone looked at each other with concern.

"Well then… try not to _think_ too much…" Kyo said.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" Kagura asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Tohru replied with a smile. "Thank you for worrying about me."

With that, Yuki and Kagura went back to what they were doing before. Shigure went into the kitchen to get a snack before heading back up to his room. Tohru was about to finish up patching the door when Kyo stepped in front of her.

"Yes?" she asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"…You…" Kyo looked away and blushed slightly. "If there's something that's bothering you, you can come talk to me… if it'll help, I'll listen…"

_Kyo-kun…_ Tohru thought. _You're worried about me._ "Thank you," she said with a grateful and happy smile. "Thank you very much Kyo-kun."

"Y-yeah," he replied and went out to the backyard to pick up bags of trash and take them out front.

_Why…?_ Sayora asked herself. _Why does it hurt so much to hear him say those things to her? Why does he keep looking at her like that? Why am I so **annoyed**?_

"Sayora-san…" Tohru said worriedly, noticing that Sayora seemed down.

"Was it something I said?" she asked. "It was my fault, wasn't? I'm sorry… for making you cry."

"Oh! No! It wasn't—" she stopped short when she saw the troubled look on Sayora's face. "… your fault…"

"Sayora! Look out!" Yuki warned, accompanied by Kyo's scream right before he crashed into her.

They both flew to the ground. Tohru looked at Kagura in nervousness as the two slowly tried to get up, holding their heads in pain.

"That HURT dammit!" Sayora shouted with a vein on her head. "Would you watch where the hell you're crashing?"

"Tell that to the girl who hurled me!" Kyo yelled.

"_All_ I asked for was your _help_!" Kagura fumed as she advanced toward them murderously, Kyo and Sayora shaking with fear. "You didn't have to be so MEAN TO ME!" Her hand balled up into a tight fist.

"W-wait! Kagura! I didn't have _anything_ to do with this! _Nothing_!" Sayora tried to reason with her.

"Wait a sec!" Kyo cried as Kagura stopped right in front of the two of them.

"Kyo-kun…" she said, and then punched the two of them even though Sayora had nothing to do with it. "**YOU'RE HEARTLESS!**"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the two screamed as they flew right threw the paper sliding door that Tohru had just recently patched up and into the backyard.

"Oh! K-K-Ka-Kagu...ra…s-sa…n…" Tohru stammered as she watched.

"Tell her you're sorry!" Sayora told Kyo.

"What! No!" he argued.

"Just _do it_!" she yelled as they both scrambled out of the way to avoid Kagura charging at them.

Yuki sighed even though he had to admit that it was pretty amusing. Tohru watched them worriedly, but soon, she smiled in relief.

_I'm glad…_ she thought. _Sayora-san is back to normal…_ "Eh…?" Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and looked around. The sky lit up with flashes of lightning.

"Is it going to rain?" Kagura asked

"Goddamn it!" Kyo cursed.

"So sudden…" Sayora said.

"Yes…" Tohru agreed.

"Well, in any case, you guys should get inside before it starts to rain," Yuki suggested. As soon as he finished saying that, rain started to fall.

"Arrgghhhh! God—damn… it…" Kyo finished with an extreme drop in enthusiasm.

"Oh no!" Kagura gasped as she grabbed Kyo's hand with both of hers. "Kyo-kun, let's hurry inside! You **_hate_** the rain!"

"Yes, it's already raining," Tohru replied as everyone started walking toward the house. However, the rain had started to make the ground wet and muddy. "Ahh!" she cried as she slipped on mud.

"Honda-san!" Yuki yelled in concern and alarm as Kyo and Kagura turned around.

Sayora turned around right when Tohru crashed into her, sending her in Kyo's direction. She bumped into him causing him to lose his balance, and on her way to the ground, her finger accidentally got hooked onto Kyo's beads. Kyo was going to use his other hand and unhook Sayora's finger but couldn't. Everyone gasped as the beads slipped off of his hand.

Kyo was frozen with shock.

_Kyo-kun! No!_ Tohru thought, watching helplessly.

"**_What did Akito mean when he said… you were a monster?" _**

"K…Kyo…?"

"Sayora-kun! Don't look!" Kagura yelled as she ran in front of her, trying to block her view.

-----Shigure-----

Shigure turned away from the computer he was typing on and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and taking a nice stretch. When he opened his eyes again, what he saw outside the window made him sit back up so fast that his chair almost flipped over. Shigure was speechless. He stared with his mouth hanging half opened as a couple flashes of lightning lit up the sky a bit too brightly followed by a loud string of thunder.

Not wasting another second, Shigure quickly turned around and ran out of his room. He dashed down the hall, throwing the door open and rushing outside.

"Kyo!" he yelled.

Before the smoke had the chance to completely clear away, Kyo jumped away and ran into the forest.

"Kyo!" Shigure called.

"So that was it…" Sayora said, his head snapping in her direction. She sounded angry. No. She sounded _disappointed_. "That was the secret… that's what I _didn't know_. He's not _human_."

Shigure frowned in concern. _This is bad…_ he thought. _Sayora-chan…_

"Sayora-kun… don't..." Kagura said, trying to be strong, holding back her tears. "Don't say that. Don't say that about Kyo-kun. It's not true. He's human…"

"Are you blind Kagura?" Sayora asked.

"No!" Tohru said. "Please don't say that. We have to go after him. We have to hurry!"

"Why?" Sayora asked in a cold voice that made everyone look at her.

"Because this time, Kyo-kun may really not come back!" Tohru shouted with tears in her eyes. "He might not come back… _ever again_…!" She was crying now. Everyone else looked at Sayora who had a cold expression on her face, an expression that said she couldn't have cared less.

Tohru cried harder. She ran off after him by herself. After a few seconds, Sayora took off in the opposite direction.

"It's no good…" Kagura said quietly, not able to hold back her tears any longer. They slipped out of her eyes and down her face. _This is… this is all…_ "Tohru-kun has already accepted him. This time, the one he needs most is Sayora-kun… but…" _This is all **my **fault because I was holding onto his other arm! If I wasn't, he would've… would've been able to do something! _She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

Shigure looked in the direction that Sayora had run off in. Was she _really _not going? Even though she was dying to inside? He could see right through the wall she had set up, but knowing that did no good. It wasn't like he could make her go after him. But Shigure knew… he knew the rest of the story about the wolf and its curse, the part that Rin never got to tell… the reason it held Sayora back. He had to do something fast. Shigure quickly went back into the house and dialed a number on his phone. It was a while before someone answered it.

"Hello?" Shigure quickly asked.

-----Kyo-----

Kyo stood there, looking back to see if anyone was following him… if _Sayora_ was following him… when he didn't see or hear anyone after a while, he almost laughed at himself.

_Yeah right,_ he thought. _As if **she'd **come after me. What am I? **Stupid?**_

All of a sudden, he felt sad… overwhelmingly sad. When he thought that, all of a sudden, this might make Sayora hate him, he felt miserable. Why hadn't he been more careful? Why hadn't he reacted just a little quicker? If he had, then maybe none of this would've happened.

_Snap!_

Kyo's head jerked toward the sound. He stared in that direction, holding his breath, waiting to see who was there.

_Did she… did she really… come?_

"I… I found you…"

_Oh…_ he felt disappointed… hopeless. _It's Tohru…_ but it wasn't who he wanted to see.

"Let's… go back Kyo-kun… _please_!" Tohru begged.

Kyo didn't reply. Right now, even though it really confused him, he didn't want to see Tohru or be anywhere near her. He turned away from Tohru.

"Go away…" he said.

Tohru's eyes widened. She walked toward him and reached out her hand, trying to grab him. "Kyo-kun…"

"I said **go away!**" Kyo shouted as he swung his arm at her to get her away from him.

He turned around and ran off.

"No! Kyo-kun, wait!" Tohru cried. "**Come back!** Kyo… Kyo-kun…!"

Tears poured out of her eyes. _I… I have to do something… I have to go after him! I'm… I'm scared that he **won't come back**!_

-----Kyo-----

Kyo was sitting in the rain alone again. He had gotten his hopes up when he heard someone chasing after him back then, but it was only Tohru. She wasn't the one he wanted to see.

At this point, he was scared.

"_Well… and…" Sayora turned around to look at Kyo. "What did Akito mean when he said… you were a monster?"_

His hand tightened into a fist.

"_Oh, it's nothing," Shigure replied for Kyo with a smile. "You know how the cat is considered the monster? That was all. Akito-san didn't mean anything more by that."_

He gritted his teeth.

"_Oh… good…"_

He clenched his fist tighter.

"**_Because no one wants to be around a monster…"_**

Kyo trembled in anger, in disappointment, and in sadness. For the first time, he saw how much he wanted Sayora to be by him. He wanted her to come after him so bad. He wanted to see her. He wanted to hear her voice say to him that she didn't care. He wanted her to _love _him, even if he _was_ a monster, even if his true form disgusted her. He wanted to be _together_ with her.

_Why? Why couldn't it have been her that said those words to me? Why couldn't it have been her who wanted to be together with me? When did I…_ Kyo was crying silently in frustration. _When did I even start **liking** her? How long was I ignoring it…? For how long have I been… **lying** to myself…?_

-----Kazuma-----

Kazuma was rushing to Shigure's house after he had gotten that phone call.

"_Shihan, there's someone on the phone for you," Kunimitsu informed as Kazuma entered the room and walked up next to him. "It sounds urgent…"_

_He handed the phone to his teacher and left._

"_Hello?" Kazuma asked. _

"_Kazuma-dono!"_

"_Oh, Shigure-kun, what's the matter?"_

"_It's Kyo! He transformed in front of Sayora and ran off!" Shigure quickly said, getting straight to the point. _

"_What!" Kazuma asked alarmed. _

"_Tohru-kun went after him but Sayora…" he trailed off._

"_I'm on my way!" he replied as he hung up the phone and quickly left. _

He hoped that everything would turn out okay; that when he got to Shigure's house, he'd hear good news. Kazuma knew that it was a tiny speck of hope… no, not even that… but he wished with all of his heart that that false tiny speck of hope would become a reality.

_Why?_ he asked himself, running through the rain. _Why did this have to happen?_ "Ah!" Kazuma abruptly stopped.

There was a brief period of silence.

"Shishou…"

"Sayora…" he replied.

Another brief period of silence.

"Why aren't you after Kyo?" Kazuma asked.

"Why should I go?" Sayora questioned. "There's no point."

He stared at her.

"Will you always live like that? Forcing yourself to be bound by the curse?"

No response.

"Even if—"

"You don't understand…" Sayora interrupted quietly. "I **hate** him."

Kazuma was silent. He didn't try to stop her as she walked past him.

_That's a lie…_ he thought as he looked down in sadness._ "I **hate** him…" that's a lie… you haven't changed a bit. Even back then, you'd force yourself not to look at him. You'd force yourself to ignore these painful feelings you had for him… and though in front of others, you'd blame it on him for being born in the year of the cat, inside… you'd always burden yourself with a fault that belonged to neither of you… _

"Sayora!" he called as he turned around. She stopped. "Will you really not go after him? Will you simply shut your eyes and turn your back on him? Do you not care if he never comes back? If you never see him again? Will you not regret it?"

"I won't," Sayora replied.

Kazuma was slightly taken back by her answer. "Really?" he asked.

It was a while before Sayora answered. "Shishou… you were… the one who said to me _'never regret anything, because at one point, it was what you wanted the most.'_"

"Even so… you wouldn't regret it? Even if you're in love with Kyo?"

A fire suddenly sparked in Sayora. Her whole body was overcome with anger. "I said I **hate** him!" she shouted as she whirled around and glared at her teacher. "I hate that thing! I can't even bare to **look** at him! He's **hideous!**"

"So… are _you_…" Kazuma said, Sayora taken back by the unexpected remark. "What you truly are… is hideous too."

His stern yet sad eyes met Sayora's shocked ones.

"If Kyo were to say that about you, I wonder what you'd do…"

"Why the hell would I care!" she yelled as Kazuma looked at her with a solemn gaze. "I don't give a shit what the hell he does!"

"What would you do it he didn't hate you…?"

"If he doesn't hate me, then I'll _make_ him hate me!"

"I wonder… how much does it hurt to make the person you care about most hate you…?"

Sayora became furious. "I said I **_hate_** him!" she practically screamed. "Why can't you understand something so simple! You're so… so annoying and persistent… so much that it **pisses me off!**"

"You are not feeling anger towards me because I am annoying and persistent. You are feeling anger towards me because I am speaking of a truth you do not wish to accept…"

She was clenching her fists so hard that her fingers were starting to get numb.

"Sayora… it is not the curse that binds you… but you _yourself_."

"You're wrong!" she argued. "You don't… you don't understand! **You don't understand!** Nobody does!"

Sayora pushed Kazuma out of the way and ran off. He watched her helplessly.

_It's… it's not me! It's the curse! It's always been the curse!_ Sayora thought. Tears ran down her eyes. She slowed to a stop, wiping her tears, noticing that she ran into a park. Sayora stood there looking down. _I've always blamed it on something else when it's always been **me**… it's always been **my** fault. The wolf was the reason the cat got cursed so badly. Everything… is all my fault because I was born in the year of the wolf… I don't blame everyone for hating me… because **I hate myself too!**_

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice someone had walked right up to her.

_Why was I born… if all I do is hurt and kill people… my whole **family** died because of me. I killed both my parents. My brother died trying to **help** me. I've… caused nothing but **trouble**… so much **trouble** for everyone around me. After all my brother did to try and help me, I never had the chance to thank him… I never had the chance to **hug** him or say **thank you**. Why did I have to be born? I wish I was never born. I wish that I never met Kyo or anyone else! Akito was right! **I should have never existed!**_

"—san," a familiar male voice called, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She looked up to find Sawaki staring at her confused.

"You okay?" he asked, smiling comfortingly. "You look… _sad_…"

-----Kazuma-----

He was rushing to Shigure's house again.

_Perhaps… it was all **my** fault that all of this happened. It was me who lied to you about Kyo…_

_-----Ten Years Ago-----_

_Sayora hid behind the corner, watching the boy with orange hair, her eyes glued on him._

"_Do you like him?" Kazuma asked with a smile._

"_Ah!" She quickly turned around in surprise, blushing. Sayora looked away from her teacher in embarrassment. "I don't like him…" she replied._

"_His name is Kyo," he told her._

"_I said I don't like him!" Sayora said, still not looking at Kazuma._

"_Really?" he asked. "He's a very nice boy, but sometimes, he gets kind of lonely. Perhaps you can play and be friends with him."_

"_I **hate** the cat!" she shouted, clenching her fists, surprising Kazuma. "I hate him… he's the cat… he's the monster… I **hate** the cat!"_

_Kazuma was shocked at what she had said. He had thought that they would've been able to get along because of their similarities, but even Sayora refused to accept the cat. Even though that was what it looked like on the outside, Kazuma felt something else inside. He felt that Sayora truly liked Kyo and wanted to know him._

"_What are you talking about?" he asked Sayora. "He's no monster. I don't know where you've heard such an absurd story. He is a normal boy, aside from the fact that he is one of the Jyuunishi."_

_She finally looked up at him shyly. "But…" she said quietly. "I heard that he was the cat possessed by a monster… even Akito's told me that… and I heard other people talk about it before too."_

"_Those are all lies. They only consider the cat a monster because the cat is not properly one of the zodiac," he replied with an assuring smile. "So… would you like to meet Kyo?"_

_After a while, Sayora shyly nodded. _

Kazuma had finally reached Shigure's house. The door was opened so he went inside without knocking.

_Perhaps I only took care of you because I thought it was a benefit to Kyo… even now, I want you to go after him because I believe that it will serve a good purpose to him… _

"Ah… Kazuma-dono…" he heard Shigure say quietly as he entered the living room.

Kazuma looked up.

"Shigure-kun," he replied.

Shigure smiled a bit tiredly.

"Well… we have quite a mess on our hands…" he said. "Kyo-kun has run away. Tohru-kun has gone after him. As for Sayora-chan…"

"I ran into her on my way here," Kazuma replied.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"It seems like she has completely rejected Kyo…" he said, Shigure silently listening. "She completely refuses to accept him… even if she feels attracted to him, I am afraid that she is too stubborn to admit that and will continue to push him away…"

There was a moment of silence before Shigure spoke up.

"So there is nothing you can do?"

"I'm afraid that all I can do is hope…" he replied. "It seems as if Sayora has made her mind about Kyo. If that's so, then I don't think that there is much I can do. Of course, I will try… but…"

Shigure gave him a sad smile.

"Yes, I understand…"

"But… but I don't…"

Kazuma and Shigure looked up at the entrance of the living room to find Yuki and Kagura. Kagura had tears in her eyes.

"I don't understand!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face.

"Kagura…" Yuki said sadly. He wanted to help calm her down and comfort her.

"I don't… I don't understand _anything_!" she continued to shout. "There's no way… you can't say… there's no way that Sayora-kun won't accept him! There has to be a way… something we can do! I won't believe it! There's no way she doesn't love him!"

"Kagura…" Kazuma replied quietly.

"Shihan…" Kagura cried, letting herself drop as she literally broke out. "This was… everything is all **_my fault_**… please! I'm begging you! **You have to help them!** Kyo-kun and Sayora-kun… there _has_ to be a way! It was all my fault that Kyo-kun transformed… if I hadn't… hadn't been… holding on… if only… I wasn't **in his way!**" she said between her sobs. "Please… I won't ever ask for anything else but please… **help him! Help Kyo-kun!"**

-----Tohru-----

Tohru was still running around looking for Kyo.

_I have to find Kyo-kun! I just **have** to!_

"_I said **go away!**"_

She was panicking and worried sick, but most of all, she was scared. Tohru suddenly stopped and started to cry again. _Why_ was she scared?

_I have to find Kyo-kun and bring him back home… right now… right now, he must be so **lonely** and **scared**_, she thought as she started to run again. _It's so incredibly sad. Sayora-san completely rejected Kyo-kun, but I don't understand! Sayora-san and Kyo-kun are so much alike, and they have so much in common. I thought that, if anyone were to be able to connect to Kyo-kun, it would be Sayora-san, but she won't even look at him… I wonder if this is also part of the curse she was talking about… _

_When I think about it, Sayora-san didn't look disgusted when she saw his true form. She look more… disappointed and sad… maybe even angry, but she didn't look disgusted. I just… don't understand… how does Sayora-san feel? What was she thinking? I just don't understand…_

_But right now is no time to think about such things. It was my fault that all of this happened. If only I hadn't slipped and fell… if only I had been more careful, then none of this would have happened. Kyo-kun's true form wouldn't have been revealed to Sayora-san, and this situation would have never happened… why do I have to always cause problems when everyone has done so much for me?_

-----Kyo-----

Kyo hadn't moved at all.

_She really isn't coming after me…_ he thought. _But that was to be expected… she said it herself, 'no one wants to be around a monster.' It was obvious from the start. Whether it was now or later, she would've hated me the moment my true form was revealed._

He mentally laughed at himself.

_What the hell am I saying? It wasn't like she even **liked** me to begin with… so why did I have to like her? Where did these feelings suddenly come from? **Why** do I have to have these feelings for her? If she's disgusted to the point of hating me so much, then what's the point of liking her? _

"Kyo-kun…"

_It's not like she's ever…_

"I…"

_Going to return my feelings for her…_

"Finally…"

_So it should be okay…_

"Found you…"

_If I forget about her…_

"Again…"

_And turn to Tohru…_ "I'm sorry…" he apologized quietly as Tohru approached him. _At the least…_ "I'll go back…" _Tohru accepts me…_ "I'll go back home now…" _And wants to be **together** with me…_

Tears of relief spilled out of Tohru's eyes. "Kyo-kun…"

-----Sayora and Sawaki-----

"You look… _sad_…" Sawaki said. "If it'll help, I'll listen to what you have to say…"

"I hate him…" Sayora replied quietly, gritting her teeth. "Kyo… I hate him so much! I wish I never met him!"

"**_So you hate him?"_**

Sawaki clenched his fist, not in anger, but in sadness. "Sayora-san…" he said quietly as well. Sayora looked up, surprised at the tone of his voice. He seemed… _different_.

"**_I love him so much that it's killing me_."** He frowned at the memories from a long time ago.

"I'm sorry if this seems like an inappropriate time but…" Sawaki seemed truly serious this time, "will you go out with me?"

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 18- Sawaki's Girlfriend

Sawaki has once more asked Sayora out on a date, but this time, he's dead serious. Will Sayora agree? Or will she refuse and turn him away? Also, could Sawaki and Sayora have already known each other from a very long time ago? And what does Asaru have to do with everything?


	18. Sawaki's Girlfriend

**dna-** srry this one took FOREVER for me to finish. i no longer have a laptop... and that's a **HUGE** problem cuz i have to use the computer in the living room to write the story. that only gives me about 20-30 min a day to actually work on the story. with the laptop, my parents wouldnt know that im not working on my hw and i can just whatever on it so yea... n plus i had to rewrite this chapter cuz 3/4 of it was on the laptop before it stopped working. but anyways, thanx for being patient!!

**FAQ  
**i might as well answer some questions as well. firstly** this will not be an OCxOC story.** it already says on the summary that its a kyoxoc story. secondly** i dont know when this story is going to end.** i already have the ending planned out. now all i have to do is get there and that might take some time. if i had to guess, this story is probably about halfway through but things happen so we'll see. lastlythe reason im taking so long to get the chapters out is mostly becuz **this story isnt prewritten.** just becuz i have a summary written for each chapter doesnt mean that i already have the chapters written out. im writing this story as i go. i write the previews becuz i think that readers would like what to expect and so that i have some sort of guideline to follow so i dont trail off like crazy (even though i still do) but yea... so if u guys have questions about this story, jus ask me. thanx n enjoy this chapter!

**Hopeless Chapter 18- Sawaki's Girlfriend**

It was around five thirty in the morning and Sayora had gotten no sleep at all. She quietly opened the door to Shigure's house and walked in. She was heading to the living room but found that the kitchen light was turned on.

"Shigure…" she said when she went to see who was there.

"Oh, Sayora-chan," he replied with a tired smile. He obviously got no sleep as well. "You didn't come home. We were worried…"

"Sorry… I stayed at my friend's…"

_-----Last Night-----_

"_I'm sorry if this seems like an inappropriate time but…" Sawaki seemed truly serious this time, "will you go out with me?"_

_Sayora was caught completely off guard. She didn't know how to react. After Sayora didn't reply for a while, Sawaki realized the suddenness of his question. _

"_Uh… I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. "Never mind. I uh… I don't got over me, asking you all of a sudden. I'm not trying to take advantage of the situation or anything. I just…" he trailed off. _

_The silence was killing Sawaki as Sayora stood there. _

"_Well um… it's really late," he said with a smile, trying to sound cheerful, hoping that it would help cheer up Sayora. "I'm sorry for bothering you. I'm sure you wanted to be alone, so I guess I should get going. I'll see you in school Monday. I hope that things work out Sayora-san…"_

_Just as Sawaki turned around and started to leave, Sayora spoke. _

"_Sawaki," she called, stopping him as he turned around. Sayora turned around to face him. "Let's do it. Let's go out."_

_His eyes widened in surprise. He was the one who was speechless this time. _

"_The two of us… **together**…"_

"_Sa… Sayora-san…" he stammered. "You… you really mean it? You really wanna go out with me?"_

_Sayora nodded._

"_That's great! Well, I mean…" he trailed off, seeing Sayora still depressed. "I'm really happy…" _

_Sayora hesitated a bit before asking, "Is it alright if I stay at your place tonight?"_

_Sawaki looked at her in curiosity._

"_I don't want to go back to the house… at least not tonight…"_

"_Uh… sure," he replied. "You can stay if you want…"_

_-----Fifteen Minutes Later-----_

_Sawaki and Sayora had both agreed to meet each other the next day around one in the afternoon as they walked to Sawaki's house.  
_

"_We're here," Sawaki announced as he opened the door and allowed Sayora in first._

"_Are you're parents out?" Sayora asked, noticing that there was no one else at home. _

"_I live alone," he replied, shutting the door as Sayora looked at him a little curiously. He smiled a little. "Simply put, my parents and I don't get along…"_

"_Oh…"_

"_Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat if you want…"_

"_No thanks. I just… want to be alone… to have some time to think about stuff…"_

"_Oh…" he replied a bit worriedly. "Well then, why don't you stay in the spare room? It's the second room on the left upstairs."_

"_Thanks," she said as she headed toward the stairs. Before she began to climb up, she turned around. "I really appreciate this Sawaki…"_

"_Uh!" he started to say as Sayora stopped and turned around again. "If you need anything… just ask, okay?"_

_She smiled and nodded. _

"Shigure…" Sayora called.

"Hm?" he asked, looking away from the refrigerator.

"I'm going out with a friend of mine today," she replied.

"Oh? When will you be back?"

"I'm gonna be out the whole day, so I won't be back till late at night probably…" Sayora paused. "Or I might not come back home." she added.

"I see…" Shigure said, staring absentmindedly into the fridge.

"Where're the others?"

"Kazuma-dono went out for a walk earlier," he replied. "Kagura-chan went out for a walk too I think. Tohru-kun and… Kyo-kun…" he hesitated a bit before saying his name. "They're upstairs, awake no doubt…"

"Oh."

Sayora turned to walk out of the kitchen only to run into Tohru and Kyo who had just arrived behind her. She stared at Kyo as he looked at her uncomfortably before averting his gaze and looking down. Sayora walked past the two of them without saying a word.

"Wait! Sayora-san!" Tohru called, turning around to see that Sayora hadn't stopped walking. She walked toward her a bit. "Um… uh! Sayora-san, where're you going this afternoon?"

"On a date with Sawaki," she answered without stopping. Sayora didn't even acknowledge Yuki who was standing at the entrance to the kitchen when she walked by him.

_Kyo-kun!_ Tohru thought worriedly.

Kyo's eyes widened in surprise. _On a date… with **Sawaki?**_ he asked himself in disbelief. _There's no way… there's just no way!_

He turned around and followed Sayora out of the kitchen.

"Eh? Kyo-kun?"

Shigure and Yuki exchanged a glance at each other before following Kyo. Tohru had no idea what was going on, but followed them anyway.

"Hey! Wait!" Kyo yelled to Sayora who was halfway out the door.

Sayora didn't pay any attention to him.

"I said _wait_!!" he grabbed her wrist as Sayora spun around to face him angrily.

"What?!" she shouted.

Kyo let go in surprise. Shigure, Yuki, and Tohru, who had just arrived, stood in silence. Sayora's angry eyes glared in resentment into Kyo's shocked ones.

_**I felt like I've been stabbed in the heart. The fact that she hates me now… it can't be true.**_

Soon, Kagura and Kazuma arrived back at the house and wondered what was going on. They could feel the tension and it made them nervous. Kagura couldn't hold herself back when she saw the pain and confusion in Kyo's eyes.

"Kyo-kun… what's wrong?" Kagura asked in a trembling voice, grabbing his arm with her hands. Kyo didn't reply. "Kyo-kun! You're scaring me! What's wrong?"

**_Stop it…_** Sayora clenched her fists. **_Stop looking at me with those eyes. I can't take it…_**

She turned away from Kyo and took in a steady deep breath. Tohru watched helplessly, wishing that there was something she could do. Anything at all.

"Sayora-kun… _why_?" Kagura asked, tears slipping out of her eyes in frustration. "Why can't you just accept Kyo-kun?"

Sayora frowned in bitterness. "A monster like Kyo… there's _no way_ I can ever accept him!"

"But _why_?" Kagura asked, her eyes starting to puff up. "I don't understand… _why?_"

"I don't expect you to understand… and I don't expect you to try either, _any_ of you," she replied and started to leave to meet up with Sawaki even though she was at least three hours early. Before she left, she turned around to look at Kyo. "Kyo, as of today, we have nothing to do with each other anymore."

Kyo felt it again. He felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart again.

_Sayora…_Kazuma thought as he watched her leave.

Sayora was walking absentmindedly, thinking about stuff when someone tapped her shoulder from the back. She turned around.

"Sawaki!" she said a bit startled. "What're you doing here?"

"This is where I live," he replied, pointing to her right.

Sayora looked up and noticed that she had accidentally stopped in front of his house.

"O-oh…" she stammered a bit.

"I thought you were going back to your house," he said.

"I uh… I did…"

It was silent for a moment. The sad and depressed look on Sayora's face was killing him. She looked as if she was about to leave so Sawaki quickly spoke up.

"Hey, hold on for a sec, kay?" he asked. "Let me put these in my house and we'll go have breakfast or something together."

He didn't give her the chance to respond before he rushed into his house with grocery bags in his hand. A couple minutes had passed and he still wasn't out. Sayora zoned off again. The gentle wind blew, making some of her hair fall in front of her face.

Inside the house, Sawaki had finished putting the groceries away for quite a while now. He leaned against the wall in his bedroom by the window where he could see Sayora standing there solemnly. Near the window was a desk with a photo on it. He stared at it, remembering how they used to play together.

On the right was a young silver haired girl. In the middle was a light brown haired girl with soft, gentle blue eyes. And finally, on the left was Sawaki. All three of them were smiling. He wished that he could've gone back to those days, but it was only a wish… a wish that he kept locked away tightly inside himself. But he had another wish too. Sawaki glanced back out the window at Sayora…

"_**Sawa-chan!"**_

Memories were flooding through him like crazy… memories of him and _her…_

_Asaru… _Sawaki thought, frowning slightly.

She was obviously completely oblivious to everything that was going on around her. Her mind was wandering all over the place. So much had happened last night and everything she thought about led to one question: _why_? _Why_ did she have to find out about his true form? _Why_ did Kazuma lie to her? _Why_ did all of this have to happen? _Why_ did she have to hurt Kyo? _Why? Why? Why?_

Sawaki continued to watch her, his mind wandering as well. He kept remembering them… that conversation he had with someone a long time ago. Those words…

"_**A guy like him pisses me off!"**_

"_**I love him so much that it's killing me…"**_

He closed his eyes and put a hand over his eyes, smiling a regretful smile.

"**_I don't understand…"_**

After a couple minutes, Sawaki decided that he had left her out there way too long, even if he was deep in thought. He turned around and walked out of his room.

Meanwhile, Sayora was still waiting, but she didn't even notice how much time had passed. More than anything, she was confused. What did she want? And did it even matter to her or to anyone else?

Suddenly, she saw someone's hand brush her hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. Abruptly pulled from her thoughts, she looked up a bit startled.

"Sawaki…"

"Sorry I took so long," he apologized with a smile.

"No, it's fine…"she replied

They both stood there frozen in spot, smiling at each other, not knowing what to do next.

"Hey mommy, are they statues?" the two of them heard a little girl ask her mother as they were passing by.

"No honey, they're just weird," the mother replied and pulled her daughter closer to her.

Sawaki and Sayora sweat dropped.

-----Few Moments Later-----

After a couple hours of walking around, talking about random stuff, they finally decided to eat something. Sawaki took Sayora to a dim sum restaurant. They walked in and a bubbly waitress came to greet them. She looked like she knew Sawaki.

"Oh! Mobaro-kun!! Welcome!"

"Uh… thanks…" he replied hesitantly.

"Is this your girlfriend? What strange hair and eye color! How long have you two been going out?" she asked excitedly. "Oh, and by the way Mobaro-kun, you were **G-R-E-A-T** at the strip club!!"

"Eh?" Sawaki managed to utter out, completely clueless and embarrassed as the waitress kept talking.

_Strip club…?_ Sayora thought in horror, silently wondering what the hell was going on.

"The girls loved the…" the waitress trailed off when she saw the clueless freaked out looks on both Sawaki and Sayora's faces. "You _are _Mobaro Fuwaki… right?"

Sawaki shook his head.

"Then who…" she asked nervously.

"Mobaro _Sawaki_…"

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Mobaro-kun looked exactly like you!" the waitress exclaimed. "You must be his brother!"

"I don't have a brother," he replied.

"Please tell your brother that he was absolutely wonderful!"

"I don't have a brother," Sawaki repeated.

"Your brother has so much talent!"

"**_I… don't… have… a… brother…_**" he said through his teeth, his fist shaking in annoyance and anger.

"Oi, oi…" Sayora said with a sweat drop, grabbing his arm with her hand and holding him back. _So even a guy like him can get annoyed…_

-----Few Minutes Later-----

The two of them were finally seated and ready to eat. They were waiting for the carts with the food to come around so they could start ordering.

"So Sayora-san, I can call you Sayora now right?" Sawaki asked. "After all, we're uh… a couple… ya know?"

"Huh?" It took her awhile before she got what he was asking. "Oh, yeah. It's fine. You don't have to ask."

"I guess," he said with a laugh.

"Besides, I hate being called that anyway," she replied.

"Huh? Sayora-san you mean?" Sawaki asked.

"Yeah," Sayora answered.

It was silent for the next couple minutes.

"Sayora…" Sawaki finally spoke up. Sayora looked up to see a serious look on his face and wondered what he was going to say. "Sayora… YOU JUST HATE BEING CALLED THAT BECAUSE **I** CALLED YOU THAT, RIGHT?!" he shouted as he stood up, pretending to break down. "NEXT YOU'RE GOING TO HATE BEING CALLED SAYORA BECAUSE I'M CALLING YOU THAT RIGHT NOW!!"

All eyes in the restaurant were on them. It was completely silent. Sayora sat there with a vein on her head. A sweat drop slid down Sawaki's head.

"S-sorry…" he apologized nervously as he sat back down. "It just seemed funny…"

"Dumbass."

Sayora got up. Sawaki looked at her in confusion. Had he gone too far this time?

"Sayora—"

"I'm just going to the bathroom," she turned and smiled at him.

Sawaki smiled back. "Kay."

His smiled faded as he watched Sayora leave. _I need to tell her. Whether she's really forgotten it all… whether she's really forgotten me or what I've done and said… it doesn't matter…_

"Would you like anything?" a waitress asked, pulling Sawaki out of his thoughts. He looked at the food in the cart.

"Um… I'll have two orders of dumplings please," he replied.

"No problem," she said cheerfully as she put the plates down on the table.

After a few more seconds, Sayora came back and sat down. She looked at the food on the table a bit confused. _Gyoza…_ she thought.

"Eat it," Sawaki said. "They're your favorite, right?"

She looked at him a little surprise. "How'd you know?" Sayora asked as she as she ate half of a piece. _It's really good…_ she thought as she put the rest in her mouth.

"**I stalked you,**" he answered with a huge smile.

Sayora choked on the dumpling.

"Ahhhh! Sayora! I was just kidding!" Sawaki panicked.

"You idiot!" she managed to say through her choking.

"I got praised!" he said in awe and overwhelming happiness.

"That was an _insult_!"

"Don't be shy! I don't mind getting praised!" Sawaki laughed as he turned to sit slightly sideways in his chair, sticking out his foot. . . . . and tripping a waitress that was walking by.

"Ahhhhh!" cried the waitress, falling on top of Sawaki. He looked at her cluelessly. The waitress blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorr—"

"OH MY GOD!! MAN RAPE!! HELP!! IT'S MAN RAPE!!!" Sawaki screamed.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Sawaki had tears in his eyes and a bright red handprint on both cheeks where the waitress had angrily slapped him.

"Ouch…" he said, looking for sympathy from Sayora.

"You deserved that," she said coldly without an ounce of pity.

"Meanie…" he whined. "So how was the food?"

"Good," Sayora replied. "How'd you find this place?"

"My girl—" Sawaki cut himself off with a terrified look of horror on his face. _Oh my god! I… I almost said…!! _

"Sawaki?"

"_My FrIeNd ToLd Me AbOuT tHiS pLaCe . . ._" he said, his voice shaking like crazy.

Sayora sweat dropped. "Uh… okay," she replied.

Sawaki got up. "I'll be right back," he said. "I'm going to the bathroom real quick, okay?"

Sayora blushed in embarrassment. "You don't have to ask me!! Just go!"

"Aww, how cute," he teased. "You're blushing at me!"

"Shut up and just go!!"

Sawaki laughed as he walked to the bathroom.

_Geez! The nerve of that guy!_ Sayora thought. _I hope he walks into the wrong bathroom!_

"_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!_"

Sayora nearly fell out of her chair. The whole restaurant's attention was turned to the bathroom hallway. Sayora got a really bad feeling and paled.

_Oh god! Don't tell me… don't tell me he **actually** went into…_

Soon, girls were running out of the hall screaming "pervert!" followed by Sawaki's hectic voice apologizing. The store manager ran out to see what was going on when one of his employees told him about what happened.

"This is unacceptable!" the manager shouted.

"No! It's not what you think!" Sawaki replied desperately. "Sayora! Tell them I'm not a pervert!"

The manager turned to look at Sayora.

"Is he with you?!" he asked furiously.

"No," Sayora replied, pretending to be clueless as Sawaki's mouth dropped open. "I don't know that guy. Definitely. I've never seen him before in my life. He has no connection with me what-so-ever. Don't know him."

-----Few Moments Later-----

"I can't believe you told the manager that you didn't know me…" Sawaki whined depressingly.

An angry vein popped up on Sayora head. "And I can't believe you went into the girl's bathroom!!" she shouted.

"It was an accident!" he defended himself.

"Yeah right!" Sayora accused. "The first day of school, you followed me into the girl's locker room!"

"That was an accident too!!"

"Why is it that all of your accidents seem so planned out and perverted?"

"Quit accusing me!" he cried in tears.

"Yeah right…" Sayora mumbled.

"I'M NOT A **PERVEEEEEEEEEERT!!!!!!**" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Everyone turned to look at the two of them as if they were insane. Sayora covered her face with her hand. _I can't **believe** this is happening!_

-----Few Moments Later-----

Sawaki and Saayora were headed to a nearby festival. As they entered, Sayora looked around in great interest. Sawaki laughed.

"What?" Sayora asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "It's just… you look so…" Sawaki searched for the right word to use. "_Childish_."

Sayora stopped and looked at him weird. "Childish?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "Is this your first time coming to a festival or something?"

"Of course not! I just haven't been to one in a long time," she replied. Sayora remembered how fun it was back then. _I used to go with her before she changed all of a sudden…_ she thought back.

"Oh look!! It's food!!" Sawaki exclaimed as he ran to the food stand.

_Oh. . . my. . . god. . . I **cannot** believe I agreed to go out with this guy!!_ Sayora thought. _Childish my ass! He's the one acting like a kid!_

"Hey Sayora!" Sawaki called.

She looked up.

"AAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!" he roared.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Hahahahaha!! Did I scare you?" he asked as he took of the mask he had bought. Sawaki sweat dropped as did Sayora. In front of him was a four-year-old girl in tears, not Sayora. Suddenly, Sawaki shuddered at an ominous feeling behind him. He slowly turned around, looking into the face of a very angry mother.

"Uh… sorry?" he said barely managed to say above a whisper.

Sayora sighed.

-----Few Moments Later-----

"So, what do you wanna do?" Sawaki asked.

"Go home!" Sayora demanded.

"But why?" he questioned. "Are you really _that_ scared of people?"

"I'm not scared of people!!" Sayora shouted at him. It was getting a bit late and the festival was getting more and more crowded, making it harder for her to walk around.

"I was just kidding," he laughed. "If you want to go, then let's go."

-----Few Moments Later-----

The two walked in the okinomiyaki restaurant and waited for a waitress to seat them. They had decided to go eat… _again_…

"This place has the best okinomiyaki around," Sawaki told Sayora.

"I know," Sayora replied. "I've been here since I was little."

"Really? Me too! My parents used to take me here all the time!" Sawaki replied with a happy expression which turned a bit sad. "Well… before…" he trailed off, Sayora looking at him in curiosity. "Anyway, what about you?"

Sayoira smiled a bit sadly. "I used to come here with a really close friend…" She paused a bit. "She's a bit different now…but I'd like it if I could come here with her again... just like back then…"

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to impose or anything like that. My parents used to take me here all the time before we got into a really big fight. Obviously, because of that, I don't even live with them any more."

"Did they kick you out or something?"

"No, it's more like I kicked _myself_ out…"

"Oh," she replied. Suddenly, a very familiar voice caught her ear.

"I wonder what Shigure-san and Yuki-kun want… I guess I should've asked…"

"Just get them anything. They won't care…" replied an irritated voice.

"Oh, and I wonder if Sayora-san would like anything…"

Sayora stared at Tohru and Kyo and the counter. They hadn't noticed her yet.

"Sayora?" Sawaki called. "Is something wrong?"

"Let's… not eat here…" she replied, not averting her gaze from the two.

"Huh?" Sawaki followed her gaze and saw who she was looking at. "Oh… sure. Let's go somewhere else."

As the two turned to leave, Kyo looked away from the counter and saw Sayora. He stared speechlessly at her and Sawaki leave.

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru called when she saw Kyo spaced out.

"Huh?" he realized he must've worried her again. "Sorry… I'm just tired…"

"Oh," she replied with a smile.

"Here's your food!" the cashier said cheerfully, handing them the bags.

_That stupid wolf….._ Kyo thought.

"_Kyo, as of today, we have nothing to do with each other anymore." _

_That **idiot!**_ he thought in frustration. _It's so **stupid!**_

Kyo thought how funny it was that all of a sudden, she was the only person he wanted to notice him. _It's so stupid…_

-----Sawaki and Sayora-----

They walked silently to a restaurant nearby.

"Hey, Sayora?" Sawaki said. "What happened between you and him?"

Sayora didn't reply.

"What did he do to make you so angry?"

"Forget it," Sayora replied, obviously not wanting to answer. It wasn't like she could tell him even if she wanted to. "It's stupid…"

"Always is," he said. Sayora looked at him surprised and Sawaki mentally slapped himself. _I did **not** just say that!! I can't believe I **actually** said that!!_ "Hey, must be a new restaurant!" he quickly said, obviously trying to change the subject.

"It's the ramen place Sawaki," she replied, looking at him lamely. "It's been here forever."

He sweat dropped. "Uh… anyways… looks like we found another place to eat!"

Sayora sighed as they two of them walked in and seated themselves.

"Welcome, what would you like to order?" the waitress asked.

"One large bowl of ramen with everything!" Sawaki replied enthusiastically.

"I'll have a small one," Sayora said.

The waitress smiled and left.

"What?" Sayora asked. Sawaki looked like he wanted to say something to her.

He looked at her with a strong, determined look in his eyes. "Sayora, I…" he hesitated. "I wanted to let you know that…" Sawaki paused again. "I—!!" _C'mon! Tell her!_ "Back then…!" _She has a **right** to know! Just get it over with!_ "Back then, I…!"

"_Back then I_ what?" Sayora asked.

"I… … … … didn't mean to look at you in the locker room back then…" he finished, letting his head drop on the table with a loud smack.

"Wha?" Sayora was nearly speechless. "That was it?! That was what you wanted to tell me?!"

_I couldn't!!_ Sawaki thought dramatically, a river streaming from his eyes. _That look on her face!! I just couldn't tell her!!_ "I'm sorry!" he apologized without lifting his head off the table.

"You're such a jackass!!" she shouted, slamming her hand on top of his head, hearing something crack. "Ah! The table gonna break!"

"Ah! Sayora! My head!!" Sawaki cried.

-----11:00 pm-----

Sawaki was walking Sayora home.

"Today was great!" Sawaki exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was great for me too," Sayora replied

He looked surprised for a moment, and then he smiled. "Then let's do this again sometime."

"Yeah," she agreed.

They had finally arrived at Shigure's house. The two stopped in front of the door.

"So I guess I'll see you in school," Sawaki said, Sayora nodding in response.

He moved in for a hug but Sayora quickly took a step back in surprise. Sawaki looked at her.

"Um… I'm sorry…"

Sawaki just smiled. "Don't be," he replied. "It's okay to keep me at a distance."

Sayora was shocked at his response.

"I'll see you in school, okay?"

He turned around and started to walk back home.

"Sawaki," Sayora called. He stopped and turned around. Sayora clenched her fists. "Um… thanks… for today I mean…"

"Yeah," he replied and continued on his way back home.

Sayora sadly watched him leave. _I couldn't say it… I couldn't tell him…_ She clenched her fists tighter._ I just can't look him in the eye and talk about the past…_

-----Sawaki-----

As he was walking home, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number. It rung a couple times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" answered a cheerful female voice.

"It's me," Sawaki replied.

"Oh, Sawa-chan!" she exclaimed. "So how was the '_date_'?"

"It was all right, a nice start anyway…"

"Awww… so that means Sawa-chan has to cheat on me some more?" she asked playfully and then laughed.

"Thanks for letting me go out with her, even though I didn't even tell you why."

"It's okay! I trust you to behave!"

Sawaki laughed a little. "Honestly…" he sighed. "You really _are_ the best girlfriend anyone could ask for."

"Of course!"

"Anyways, I've gotta go," Sawaki said.

"Okay!"

"See you in school."

"Bye!"

Sawaki hung up the phone and went into his house. He went upstairs into his room and turned on the light. His eyes wandered to the photo on his desk.

_Asaru…_

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 19- Chaos with the Student Council

Kyo and Sayora's relationship is growing farther and farther apart. What can Kyo do to close up some of the distance? Also, Yuki asks Sayora to help out the student council with some things and just as he's about to introduce her to everyone, to his _and_ her surprise, she already knew some of the people there. And where else did Sayora meet Kakeru back then other than at Kyoko's funeral!

**dna**- quick question (especially for those who've read ahead to vol 17--i think-- or more) im jus asking for an oppinion about putting in some slight tohruxmomiji later on in this story. jus a little bit, nothing too serious. what do you think??


	19. Chaos with the Student Council

**dna-** its been nearly 2 monts since i've updated... u all have no idea how grateful i am for being u guys being patient... THANK YOU!!

and also... yes, i know. they're already _supposed_ to be in their last year of high school, especially cuz yuki's the student council president and stuff but I messed that up so you'll jus have to pretend that they're jus about to enter their last year of high school… srry!!

**Hopeless Chapter 19- Chaos with the Student Council**

Yuki, Shigure, and Tohru were eating breakfast. Sayora had finished a couple seconds ago and excused herself upstairs to get ready for school. On her way to her room, she ran into Kyo at the top of the stairs. However, they both didn't acknowledge each other and just walked by without saying a word.

_I can't look at her…_ Kyo thought as he passed her, frowning slightly. _It hurts too much…_

_This is for the best_ she thought. _We can't be together…_

-----Few Minutes Later-----

"We're leaving now Shigure-san!" Tohru told him as she and the others left the house.

"All right!" Shigure yelled back. "Be careful _kids_!"

"Maybe it's just me but he _seriously_ makes me sick," Sayora said.

"Just like a certain cat…" Yuki mumbled.

"Shut up you dumb rat!" Kyo shouted angrily.

_Sayora-san and Kyo-kun aren't acknowledging each other _Tohru thought worriedly._ But other than that, they're acting as if nothing happened…_

"Hey Tohru," Sayora said as she dropped back to walk with her. "How were Kagura and Shishou when they left yesterday?"

"They were fine," she answered with a smile. "In fact, they even stayed for dinner last night."

"Oh, I see…"

They walked in silence for a bit. Tohru's smiled faded away.

"Sayora-san…" Tohru said quietly, earning Sayora's attention. "I don't mean to pry. However… I can't stop thinking about…" she paused in hesitation, not sure if she should really ask her. "I can't stop thinking about why you won't accept Kyo-kun."

"You should forget about it," Sayora replied, trying to end the conversation immediately.

"But I don't understand!" Tohru objected desperately. "No matter how hard I try to see it from your point of view… no matter what reason I try to think of… I just don't understand! It doesn't make sense at all!"

"And why would it?!" Sayora asked, starting to get irritated. "You can try to rationalize it all you want but it doesn't work that way! It isn't that simple! You can't just try to think up of a reason!"

Sayora stopped and sweat dropped, noticing that Yuki and Kyo were staring at her and Tohru.

"Math…" Sayora said, saying the first random, reasonable thing that popped into her mind.

"Math?" Yuki repeated, making sure that he had heard her correctly.

"We were talking about math…" Sayora replied.

"You were talking about math?" Yuki asked.

"Would you quit echoing?" Sayora replied with a vein popping out of her head.

-----Few Moments Later-----

The four had arrived at school. Tohru was with Uo and Hana while Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora were hanging out with some other people.

"Hey! I've gotta good one!" one of them said. "What kind of trouble do cats cause?" He paused a moment and then yelled with enthusiasm, "_Catastrophic _trouble! Hahaha!! Get it? **Cat**astrophic trouble?"

Yuki and Sayora stared at him. "**It's so lame,**" they said at the same time.

"Aww! What're you talkin about?"

"That's the dumbest and lamest joke I've ever heard," Sayora replied bluntly.

"Cats don't cause trouble though…" Kyo suddenly cut into the conversation with a clueless look. "Cats are the last animals that'll ever cause trouble."

"Is that so?" Yuki asked, his voice overflowing with sarcasm.

The classmates laughed. "So dense!" one of them joked.

"It was an accurate joke," Yuki said.

"You gotta problem?" Kyo asked, getting irritated already, attracting attention from Uo, Hana, and Tohru.

"I didn't say anything," Yuki replied, sarcasm still clearly visible in his tone of voice. "It's just that, I was thinking that _'cats are the last animals that'll ever cause trouble'_ should've been the last thing a **hot headed, bad tempered, foul mouthed, immature, inconsiderate, trouble making, brainless idiot **like you should say."

Kyo couldn't hold it in any longer, not when he had just been insulted that badly by his worst enemy.

"You lookin for a fight you **scrawny she-man**?!" Kyo shouted.

They guys burst into laughter as Kyo immediately crashed into the wall all the way on the other side of the room.

"Ah! Kyo…kun…" Tohru began to panic nervously.

"Nice punch," Uo said to herself.

"Hey Yuki, don't you have some student council thing this morning?" Sayora asked.

"Oh! That's right!" Yuki cried as he rushed out of the classroom. "Thank you, Sayora!"

Once again, the guys laughed.

"Man your family's hectic!" one of the guys said.

"It's all because of that damn Yuki!!" Kyo growled.

"Damn right it's hectic," Sayora replied to the guy.

"Hey Tohru," Uo said.

"Hm?" Tohru asked as she looked at Uo, the tone of her voice worrying her.

"Did something happen?" she asked. "Between Kyon and Sayo I mean."

"Eh?"

"I agree," Hana said. "They're ignoring each other."

_Even Hana-chan and Uo-chan can tell they're not getting along…_ Tohru thought depressingly.

"It's rare to see them not talk to each other," Uo continued, not removing her gaze from Kyo and Sayora.

"Sadness," Hana said. "Their waves are emitting nothing but sadness. I wonder what happened."

Hana and Uo both looked at Tohru who shifted nervously.

"I… I don't know either…" she replied.

Both Uo and Hana knew that was a lie, but they didn't want to say anything at the moment. As Kyo, Sayora, and their group of friends joked around, Kyo kept glancing over at Sayora. He could feel the rift growing larger and larger. She wouldn't even look at him let alone speak a word to him. It was as if he wasn't even there…

-----Free Period-----

Yuki came into the classroom and walked over to Sayora.

"Hey Sayora," Yuki said. "Are you free?"

"Huh? Yeah," she replied.

"The student council is planning an upcoming school activity since the year school ends in two months and we need a little bit of help with some stuff," he explained. "Would you mind lending a hand?"

"Oh, sure," Sayora answered. "No problem."

Kyo moved toward the two of them. "What about—"

"**You** are not needed," Yuki interrupted before he could even get half of his question out.

"What the hell?!" Kyo shouted. Truthfully, he didn't even really care that much for helping the student council. He just wanted to be around Sayora. Actually, he didn't really want that either because it wasn't like they'd even acknowledge each other. _That_ was what he wanted. He wanted her to acknowledge him, and there was a chance that she might've done that, accident or not, if he kept hanging around her.

"So when do I help out?" Sayora asked Yuki.

"Right now," he answered.

"Right now?" she repeated. "What about class?"

"I'll tell the teacher so you'll be excused," he replied as they both walked out of the classroom.

"Looks like Kyon's just been rejected by the prince _and_ Sayo," Uo said, loud enough for Kyo to hear.

"I don't wanna hear that from a yankee who can't get guys!" Kyo shouted.

"And I don't wanna hear that from a guy who can't get girls," Uo dissed right back.

-----Yuki and Sayora-----

"We were planning to do class competitions and student events as well as events for couples," Yuki explained. "We have some ideas already, but the preparations still need a lot of work."

"So… what am I doing?" Sayora asked.

"Oh, right," he replied. "I was wondering if you could help with some rough sketches of how some of the places were going to be decorated. Also, I need you to go into the school's files and records and see which of the past school events we should use. We also need more ideas because we don't want to repeat the same events over and over again."

"So… why did you ask me for help?"

"Well…" Yuki looked at her, wondering if he really should've asked her for help. "You were the only person that came to mind… and you're pretty creative so…"

"Ah…"

"Besides, we know that Honda-san won't be of much help…" he paused when Sayora looked at him. "Wait… that didn't come out quite right."

"No, I get it…"

"And Kyo… well, there's no way I'd ever ask him for help, even if my life depended on it."

"This is an awkward conversation Yuki," Sayora said.

"Yeah…" Yuki agreed with a sweat drop.

They both arrived at the student council room.

"Sayora, before we enter this room, I must warn you… **it's hazardous . . .**"

Sayora sweat dropped. "Thanks."

"_YUN-YUUUUN!!" _came a voice that Yuki recognized far too easily as soon as he opened the door. _"I've CoMe WiTh HeLp LiKe YoU rEqUeStEd!!"_

Sayora sweat dropped as Yuki greeted his fellow student council member.

"Yes, thank—"

"Kimi?" Sayora interrupted, looking surprised.

"_Ehhhhhhhhhhh? YoYo-chan?_" Kimi replied. "Long time no see!"

"I see you haven't changed," Sayora said.

_Yoyo? _Yuki thought, a picture of the toy coming into mind. "You know each other?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sayora answered.

"We went to the same middle school for a year!" Kimi finished.

"I see," Yuki replied.

"Sayora!" another familiar voice called. "So you're helping out too?"

_Oh god… **please** don't tell me this is the help Kimi got…_ Yuki thought, suddenly feeling extremely tired.

"Sawaki!" Sayora said in surprise. "Where were you this morning?"

"Come to think of it, you weren't here this morning either Kimi," Yuki thought out loud.

"Of course!_ We were **together!**_"

"Kimi! Don't say that! They'll get the wrong idea!" Sawaki said.

"But we_ **were** _together!_"_

"Would you both quiet down?! I'm trying to concentrate on my work!!" an agitated voice shouted from the corner of the room.

"Ah, that's Sakuragi Naohito," Yuki said to Sayora.

"He's kinda small, isn't he?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Who's small?!" Nao yelled, glaring angrily at Sayoran as she sweat dropped.

"N-nothing…" she replied.

"Oh, Machi, you're back too," Yuki greeted her as she came into the room and gave him some papers.

_Machi?_ Sayora thought, the name sounding familiar to her.

"Whadda you mean _nothing_?!" Nao continued to question Sayora angrily.

"Oi, oi! Stop yelling Chibisuke," Kakeru said as he came in the room. "It's not nice to yell at our helper."

_Ah!_ Sayora thought as when she made eye contact with him. He seemed to recognize her too.

"Stop calling me that!!" Nao demanded. "And where have you been all morning?!"

"He was with_ me_!" Kimi said.

"I thought you were with _that_ guy!"

"I have a name you know," Sawaki replied.

"_All three of us were together in the dark!_" Kimi said to Nao.

"Don't say those kinds of things!" Nao scolded.

"Kakeru, did you get the plans for me?" Yuki asked.

"Yup! Here you go!" he replied cheerfully as he handed Yuki a folder.

"Sayora, this is—"

"Well YunYun, have fun planning out the rest of the school activities!" Kakeru quickly cut Yuki off as he was trying to introduce him to Sayora. He was already halfway out the door. "I'm gonna catch up on some beauty sleep somewhere so cya!"

"Huh? Wait, Kake—"

"Kimi wants some beauty sleep too!" she whined, drowning out Yuki with her loud voice as she followed Kakeru out of the room, slamming the door shut.

"Wait!! Kimi-chan! What am I supposed to do?!" Sawaki yelled after her.

The five left in the room stayed silent for a brief moment.

"It's quiet…" Yuki said in amazement.

"So much commotion…" Sayora sighed, feeling very tired all of a sudden. "I don't know where you get the energy to deal with this Yuki."

"Me neither…" he replied and then turned to talk to Machi.

Sayora looked up, staring at the door. _Ka… keru…?_ she thought.

"Sayora?" Sawaki called. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she replied smiling, not wanting him to worry.

Sawaki saw right through her and knew that there was something troubling her but decided against saying anything about it.

"Then, you wanna come help me look at the school records for events and stuff?" he asked.

"Uh… sure but… Yuki was gonna have me do some stuff for him," Sayora replied.

"Oh, it's okay Sayora," Yuki said, overhearing her. "I was going to ask you to go anyway."

"Great," Sawaki replied. "Let's go then Sayora."

He walked out of the room.

"Kay," Sayora said as she followed him out. Before she shut the door, she glanced at Machi.

-----In the Classroom-----

"Hey! Let's play a card game," Uo suggested.

"Okay!" Tohru replied excitedly, turning to Kyo. "Kyo-kun, you're playing too, right?"

"Don't want to," he said uninterestedly.

"My, my, such rudeness towards Tohru-kun," Hana replied sarcastically.

"What's wrong? Still mad that Sayo ditched you?" Uo teased. "After all, you _are_ **hot headed, bad tempered, foul mouthed, immature, **and** trouble making.** Isn't that right?"

"You forgot **inconsiderate **and **brainless idiot,**" Hana said.

"Shut up!" Kyo replied in an irritated voice.

"Geez, you're so touchy today," Uo continued to tease.

"Of course," Hana replied. "He was humiliatingly insulted by the prince."

"Don't you mean dumped by Sayo?" she asked laughing.

That was it. Kyo had had enough.

"What the hell would you understand about **_anything?!!_**" he shouted angrily, the whole classroom going silent. He had stood up so fast that he knocked over his chair.

Uo and Hana just stared at him as he furiously left the classroom.

"Ah! Kyo-kun!" Tohru called after him worriedly as she stood up.

"Tch, I knew it," Uo said, leaning back in her chair. "Something _did_ happen after all."

"Huh?" Tohru was confused.

"He seems unusually on edge today," Hana sad. "And so does _she_…"

"Sayo you mean?" Uo asked as Hana nodded in response. "Did they get into a fight?" Uo asked Tohru.

Tohru stared down sadly and worriedly.

"_Kyo, as of today, we have nothing more to do with each other."_

Sayora's words wouldn't get out of her head. They had been bothering her for a while now.

"Tohru…" Uo said.

"Yes…" she replied. "They… got into a fight…"

"About what?" Uo asked.

"I can't really say…" Tohru answered her, not looking up. "Sayora-san found out a very dear secret of Kyo-kun's, and they got into a big argument…"

"Secret?" Hana repeated.

Tohru's eyes widened in shock. She had said too much without realizing it.

"It's nothing," she replied, looking at her two best friends with an assuring smile. "Please, don't mind me. I was just talking nonsense."

Uo and Hana had known Tohru for far too long. They knew that she wasn't just talking nonsense. Something had happened that had caused her to become flustered and it bothered them greatly.

-----Sayora and Sawaki-----

Sayora and Sawaki were walking to the school's record library together.

"So where were you this morning?" Sayora asked.

"I was with Kimi-chan and Kakeru," he replied. "Yuki wanted to find out if there were any trips we could afford if we started to collect money through fundraising and stuff like that."

"Oh," she replied. "By the way, how do you know Kimi?"

"Huh?" Sawaki looked at her curiously. "Why do you want to know?"

Sayora suddenly realized how awkward the question sounded. "Ah! I don't mean to—"

"Are you afraid that you might have competition?" he asked, taking it completely the wrong way as a vein appeared on Sayora's head. "That's it, isn't it? Ha! That's so cute! You're jealous again, aren't you?!"

"That's not what I meant!" she objected.

Sawaki laughed. "Just kidding. Kimi-chan and I went to the same middle school for a year."

"Eh? Really?" Sayora asked a bit surprised.

"Yeah, why?"

"I went to the same middle school as her too."

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sayora replied.

"_EhHhHh?! WhAt ArE sAwA-cHaN aNd YoYo-ChAn DoInG aLL aLoNe ToGeThEr?"_ Kimi asked loudly.

"AHH!! Kimi-chan!!" Sawaki cried in surprise. "Don't scare me like that!"

"_DiD i InTeRuPt A rOmAnTiC cOnVeRsAtIoN?_"

"What a coincidence. We were just talking about you," Sayora replied.

"Eh? YoYo-chan and Sawa-chan were having a romantic conversation about Kimi?"

Sawaki sweat dropped while Sayora slapped herself on the head. _How does she manage to twist everything I say into something disgusting?_

"Sorry YoYo-chan, but Kimi isn't into girls," she said as if she was truly sorry.

"I heard it!!" Kakeru suddenly shouted after appearing out of nowhere. "You guys were having a romantic conversation about—"

"Ah! Kake—"

"Oops. Sorry, no can do," he interrupted Sayora as soon as she opened her mouth to talk. "I'm in a hurry to seek my new napping place where Chibisuke won't bother me! Cya!"

With that, Kakeru took off.

"Hey! What do you mean _no can do_?!" Sayora shouted.

"Oh! Wait for Kimi!" Kimi yelled as she ran after him. "She wants a napping place with Kakeru!"

Sayora and Sawaki stared at the two running off.

"What was _that_?" Sawaki asked.

"What was what?" came Yuki's voice as he walked up to them with a curious look.

"Oh, Yuki," Sayora replied as she turned to look at him.

"Hey _YunYun_!" Sawaki greeted cheerfully.

Yuki twitched at the name.

"…Please… don't call me that… not you too…"

"Eh? But isn't it _such_ a **cute** **name** for a **cute guy**?" Sawaki asked with sarcasm.

"Sawa-chan thinks so too?" asked Kimi as all three of them turned to look at her.

Sawaki and Sayora sweat dropped.

"Kimi… didn't you leave with Kakeru to find your _napping place_?" Sayora asked.

"He said that YunYun wanted to see Kimi all alone for some important _business_ so Kimi came to find him," she replied. "So… _hOw MaY i SeRvIcE yOu?_"

"Kimi…" Yuki said with a sweat drop, at a loss for words.

"Ah! Machi!" Kimi yelled and waved behind Yuki.

Machi looked their way and walked over to them.

"Hey Machi, were you looking for me?" Yuki asked.

"I… finished the planning that you asked me to do Student President…" she said to Yuki as she handed him some papers.

"Really? That was fast," he replied. "Thank you."

"I… I tried to finish it quickly so it might not be the way you wanted it to be…"

"I'm sure it's alright. I'll look over it."

"Now _this _is a romantic conversation," Sawaki said.

"Ah!" Yuki blushed as did Machi. "W-what're you talking about?"

"Don't be shy YunYun!"

"D-don't call me that!!"

"Look Sayora! He's shy, just like you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sayora shouted at him.

"Ah!! President! Where have you been?" they heard Nao's aggravated voice. "You still have tons of paperwork to take care of! You don't have time to be slacking off around here! And Kimi!" He turned to her. "You have work to get done too!! And Kuragi!!" he turned to Machi. "You left a mess on your desk that you need to clean up!! And _you_!!" He turned to Sayora and Sawaki next. "_You_ two are supposed to be _helpers!!_** Helpers!!** You should be working diligently under the supervision of the Student President!! And—" he stopped short when he couldn't find the person he was about to yell at next. Suddenly, his face started to turn red from anger. "Where is he?" he asked between his teeth.

"Kakeru?" Kimi asked. "He said he was going to find a napping place where Nao-chan can't bother him."

Steam blew out of Nao's head.

"That stupid—arghhh!!!" he yelled. "Kuragi!! Go clean up the mess on your desk!! President, please hurry and finish your paperwork!! And you two!!" Sayora and Sawaki looked at him. "Quit slacking off!!"

"Kimi will go_ sErViCe ThE pReSiDeNt._"

"No you won't!!" Yuki and Nao shouted at the same time.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight!! _You're_ coming with _me_ to look for Manabe!!" he yelled as he stomped down the hall.

"Nao-chan, are you keeping me all to yourself?" Kimi asked as she began to follow him.

"Wait, Kimi!" Sayora called as she turned around. "When you find Kakeru, tell him that I need to talk to him."

"Okay!" she replied happily as she quickly ran down the hall to catch up with Nao to annoy him some more.

Yuki looked at Sayora a bit surprised. "You knew him?" he asked.

"A little," she replied. "Although I guess I wouldn't say that I _know_ him. We've just met before. That's all."

"Hey guys," Yuki said to Sayora and Sawaki. "I'm going to go back to the student council room with Machi."

"We'll go to the record library then," Sawaki replied.

Yuki nodded as he turned around and walked away with Machi.

"Hey Sayora, are you hungry?" Sawaki asked. "We can go buy a snack or something. My treat!"

Sayora smiled. "Okay."

-----Tohru-----

Tohru had been wondering around for a while now, trying to find out where Kyo had gone. She stopped walking and sighed.

_There's nothing I can do to help after all…_ she thought to herself depressingly. _I wonder if Kyo-kun will be okay…_

She felt someone behind her and turned around.

"Ah! Kyo-kun!" Tohru exclaimed. "Where've you been?"

When he didn't answer her after a while, she decided to just drop the topic.

"Um, are you hungry Kyo-kun? I can buy something for you," she offered.

"No thanks," he replied.

Kyo was about to leave when he saw Sayora and Sawaki walking to snack line. He couldn't hear what they were saying but they were very casual to each other which angered him. Tohru saw the look on Kyo's face and followed his gaze to Sayora and Sawaki, and then looked back at Kyo worriedly.

When he saw them laughing together, he snapped.

Kyo marched over to the two of them and pushed Sawaki away from Sayora.

"Hey!" Sawaki cried in surprise as he quickly regained his balance.

"Kyo-kun!!" Tohru yelled worriedly as she ran and took hold of his arm in a weak attempt to stop him from doing anything stupid.

The hall quieted down and stared at the commotion that was stirring up.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Sayora asked angrily.

"What the hell are _you _doing?!" Kyo shouted.

Sawaki stepped beside Sayora and stared at Kyo who glared back at him. When Sawaki didn't back down or avert his gaze, Kyo felt aggravated.

"What the hell're you looking at?!!" he shouted as he stepped toward them.

"Kyo-kun!!" Tohru yelled as she desperately tried to hold Kyo back.

"Let go of me dammit!!" he shouted at her.

Right away, Kyo looked surprised at himself for raising his voice with Tohru. After a few seconds, he relaxed and calmed himself down. Looking at Sayora one more time, he turned around and left.

"Um… please don't mind Kyo-kun, Mobaro-san," Tohru said apologetically. "He's been in a bad mood lately…"

Sawaki smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I'm not angry."

"Thank you," she replied, bowing slightly. "Please excuse me."

Tohru left to follow Kyo.

Whispering started to fill the halls, talking about what had just happened. Sawaki looked at Sayora out of the corner of his eye, knowing that she probably didn't want to hear the school talking about her argument with Kyo. Eyes constantly looked over in their direction, making Sayora irritated.

"**_HEY!! PRESIDENT YUKI IS HAVING LUNCH WITH HIS FRIENDS IN THE COURTYARD RIGHT NOW AND SAYS THAT ANYONE WHO WANTS TO GO IS INVITED!!!"_**

The hall suddenly got quiet and everything was still… for half a second. Before they knew it, a stampede ran by them and the hall was empty.

"Whew, lucky they bought it."

Sawaki and Sayora looking beside them to find Kakeru standing there with a huge grin. Remembering that Sayora had said something about wanting to talk to Kakeru, Sawaki decided to leave.

"Well, guess it's my turn to find my napping place," Sawaki said as he went down the hall. "Cya!"

"Hey—"

"Cya," Kakeru replied, interrupting Sayora.

"Kakeru…" Sayora said, looking like she was confused.

He looked at her and smiled a bit. "Kimi said that you wanted to talk to me." His smile faded away into a regretful look. "Are you mad?"

"I didn't ask you to meet me so I could yell at you some more…" Sayora replied. "I asked you to meet me so that I can properly apologize for what I said to you back then…"

_-----Two Years Ago—Honda Kyoko's Funeral-----_

_Kakeru stood in front of Tohru, glaring down at her. _

"**_You… really arouse my anger. Don't presume… that you're the only one bearing all the grief. Don't presume that you're the only one deserving of 'sympathy.'"_**

_He then turned and left the funeral with Komaki. A few seconds after they stepped out of the funeral, Komaki suddenly stopped. _

"_Oh, I forgot my purse," she remembered. _

"_I'll go get it for you," Kakeru replied. "You wait here."_

"_Thank you," she said with a smile as he went back to the funeral. _

_As he was walking back to Komaki, someone stepped in his way. Before Kakeru got the chance to see who it was, he was hit with a slap to the face. He turned his head to glare at the girl standing in front him. _

"_**You**… are **disgusting**… and so are the words that come out of your mouth…" she scolded while glaring at him. "Manabe Kakeru… a selfish and un-understanding guy like you… **really arouse my anger.**"_

_Without another word, she left… _

"What I said that day, I said purely out of anger," Sayora told him. "And the fact that I called you selfish and un-understanding… was because I had already labeled you that way in my mind. I can say that now, without a doubt, you _were_ and still _are_ a good person… understanding and unselfish, putting others needs before your own, even if you have an awkward way of showing it… but to be honest, at that time, I really hated you. I thought that you were a horrible person for saying things like that to Tohru… so that's why I owe you an apology. I completely misunderstood you…"

"No, you were right," Kakeru said, smiling a sad smile. "I was selfish and un-understanding… and I didn't understand why someone had said something like that to me. I never gave it that much thought, what you said to me that is. Without thinking of how Honda-san or Komaki would've felt about me saying such things…" he trailed off. "I automatically thought that Komaki would side with me and think about things the same way I did. In the end, I finally understood what you said to me, and at the cost of hurting Komaki, I've learned my lesson… so you weren't wrong to say those things. I've hurt a lot of people… you, Yuki, Honda-san, and Komaki… but little by little, I'm reaching a higher level of understanding. To protect those I care about… for their sake, I will keep moving forward. I'll keep trying to understand, even if it's only a little at a time, so that I won't hurt the people around me… like the saying goes: in order to gain something or know something, someone might have to be sacrificed and get hurt…"

"Even though it shouldn't be done…" Sayora finished. "You know, whoever gets you as a boyfriend will be a lucky person."

"Actually, _I'm_ the one who's lucky to have such a great girlfriend," Kakeru replied.

"Oh? You have one?" she asked. "What's her name?"

"It's Komaki," he answered, looking at her as if it should've been obvious. "She's the bestest! And she's really cute too!"

"Komaki as in… Nakao Komaki?"

"Yeah. Why? You know her?"

"_EhHhHhHh? WhY aRe YoYo-ChAn AnD kAkErU tOgEtHeR aLL aLoNe?"_ came Kimi's loud voice before Sayora got the chance to reply.

"There you are!!!" Nao yelled as he walked toward the two. "Where have you been all this time Vice President?! Do you know how much work you have to do?!"

"Calm down Chibisuke," Kakeru sighed. "It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Nao repeated. "**Not a BIG DEAL?!** The school year is ending in **two months!!** We have to finish all of the planning and preparations **before **then!!!"

"But I'm only the vice president," he replied. "The president should be the one doing all of the work, isn't that right?"

"Well in that case, Kimi is only the secretary," she said. "I say that the vice president should do all of my work!"

"But you're my underling. _You_ should do the work because I'm ordering you to."

"But Kakeru is my superior," she replied as Kakeru fell to the ground after taking her punch.

"Oh… my guts…" he moaned, lying on his side, clutching his stomach.

"Arrgghhh!!!! I can't stand this anymore!!!" Nao shouted as she stomped down the hallway angrily.

"Hm? I wonder what's wrong with Nao-chan…" Kimi thought out loud to herself.

"Kimi, YunYun is calling for your service!" Kakeru said.

"Oh! Then Kimi will go now!" she replied as she cheerfully skipped down the hall. "Bye-bye!"

Kakeru sighed in relief. "Well YoYo-chan, I'm gonna go find my napping place if we're done talking," he said as he headed down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Don't call me that…"

"Okay YoYo-chan," he replied, continuing down the hall.

A vein grew on Sayora's head. Suddenly, she remembered something.

"Ah! Kakeru, wait!" she called.

"Yeah?" he asked as he stopped.

"Komaki… she's your girlfriend, right?" Sayora asked. "Can you… tell her something for me?"

"No problemo!"

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She debated with herself whether she should ask him to tell Komaki or not.

"YoYo-chan?"

"… never mind…" she replied. "It's nothing."

Kakeru wasn't convinced but he knew when to back off.

"Cya then!" he said to her as he ran down the hall. "You look lots better than you did two years ago!"

Sayora watched him leave, a little surprised at his last comment. She smiled and left to meet Sawaki in the library.

-----Later That Day-----

Kakeru met up with Komaki on his way home and were walking to his house together.

"I can make dinner for you today if you like," Komaki offered. "What do you want to eat?"

"Hey, Komaki…" Kakeru said as she looked at him. "Today… I talked to a girl named Souma Sayora."

"Souma… Sayora?"

"Do you know her?"

"_**Are you… Nakao Komaki?"**_

"Komaki," Kakeru said when she went silent.

"Eh?" she looked up at him cluelessly, being abruptly pulled out of her thoughts.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh, no, not at all," she replied assuringly with a smile which quickly faded away. "Not at all…"

"**_You killed her…"_**

-----Shigure's House-----

Sawaki had dropped Sayora off at the house and left. She walked in the front door where Tohru came out of the kitchen to greet her.

"Welcome home, Sayora-san!" she said cheerfully.

"Welcome home," Yuki greeted as well.

"What're you making Tohru?" Sayora asked as she took off her shoes.

"Beef stew!" Tohru replied.

"Cool."

Sayora walked into the living room to find Shigure watching the television.

"Welcome back, Sayora-chan," he greeted without looking at her.

"You're wearing a suit," Sayora said.

"Yes, I am," he replied.

"Why?"

"Because I had work."

Sayora wasn't sure that she had heard right.

"Work?"

"Yes, work."

"Oh…"

There was an awkward silence. Sayora was confused but didn't bother to ask. It was too much effort on her part.

"Well um… I'm gonna go upstairs and change…" she said.

"Sayora, we have some council work to do tomorrow morning so we need to get to school early, okay?" Yuki asked as Sayora went up the stairs.

"Kay," she answered.

On her way to her room, Kyo happened to step out of his. He watched her walk by without acknowledging him at all. A couple minutes later, Sayora came out of her room and walked by Kyo, ignoring him _again_. Kyo got irritated. He grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him.

"Is that it?!" he asked. "It's one thing to not talk to me, but you're not going to look at me either?!"

"Don't touch me!" Sayora warned as she yanked her arm out of Kyo's grasp. "I thought I told you, we have nothing to do with each other anymore!" She stopped at the top of the stairs, not turning around to face him. "Besides… why would I want to look at a guy who's never looked at _me_?"

Sayora's words were harsh and Kyo didn't know how to react.

"Dinner's ready!!" they heard Tohru announce.

Sayora walked downstairs and to the kitchen to help Tohru bring out the food.

"Sayora-chan, where's Kyo-kun?" Shigure asked.

Yuki looked at Shigure out of the corner of his eye. Sayora didn't respond and went back into the kitchen to help Tohru bring out the rest of the food to put on the table.

"Shigure…" Yuki said. "Asking things like that will only make her mad."

"Is that so?" he asked unworriedly. "I'm going to call Kyo-kun down."

Yuki's suspicious eyes didn't leave Shigure as he left the living room.

Tohru watched worriedly. _Sayora-san… _

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 20- The One Way Souma Life

Uo and Hanajima's suspicion about Kyo and Sayora causes Tohru to get into an argument with Sayora, and for the first time ever, Tohru realizes how horrifying the curse of the zodiac can really be. When she talks to Shigure about it, he reveals a secret about Sayora that is only known to a few people. And also, what does Sawaki have to say to Sayora that's so important? Could it mean the end for them and a new beginning for Sayora and Kyo?


	20. The One Way Souma Life

**dna-** phew this chap was kinda long.

before i forget, someone emailed me asking who komaki was. komaki is kakerus girlfriend, and yes shes actually in the manga. shes not an oc i made up...

**important notice:** there will be spoilers (both minor and major) from this point on in the story. ive tried to keep them out but i cant avoid them anymore... i have fruits basket up to vol. 22 and the first 4 chapters from vol. 23. if anyone wants to read them, just email me or tell me when you leave a review or something and ill send the stuff to you. and make sure to **leave ur email **if you tell me in a review so i can get back to u.

well... enjoy this chap!

**Hopeless Chapter 20- The One Way Souma Life**

"Good morning Kyo-kun!" Tohru greeted happily as Kyo came down the stairs and into the living room.

"Morning…" he replied.

"You sound tired Kyo-kun," Shigure said. "Yuki-kun and Sayora-chan already went to school."

"They did?" he asked surprised.

"Yes, they had student council work this morning," Tohru answered as she set half of the breakfast on the table.

"Oh."

Shigure stood next to Kyo as Tohru went back into the kitchen to bring out the rest of the breakfast.

"Isn't it funny how when you want something the most, you can't have it and when you have it, you don't care about and once you lose it, you'd do anything to get it back?" Shigure asked as he sat at the table.

"What're you talking about?" Kyo asked while glaring at his older cousin.

"Who knows?" he shrugged, not answering him. "But I _do_ know one thing…" Shigure looked Kyo in the eye. "Since the moment she met you, she wished she had the courage to tell you everything."

"What?" Kyo was truly confused this time.

"I believe I've said this before Kyo-kun, that Sayora-chan _'is the type of person who takes everything into her own hands. She thinks she has to shoulder everything'_ and that _'if she tries to hard, she may end up letting everyone down, especially herself.'_ Is she letting you down right now?"Shigure asked. "If she is, then perhaps more than anyone else, she is the one being let down. Perhaps she's trying too hard. Perhaps she's trying to take everything into her own hands and carry everyone's baggage all by herself."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kyo asked frustrated. It felt like Shigure saying random things or talking in riddles to him.

"You keep thinking that you've been let down, don't you?" he said, not answering his question. "Maybe the one who's been let down the most is Sayora-chan."

"Sorry it took so long!" Tohru said with a smile as she came out of the kitchen with the rest of breakfast. "Breakfast is rea—"

"If you've got something to say, then just say it!!" Kyo shouted over Tohru furiously.

"I've already said what I needed to say," Shigure replied, unconcerned by Kyo's threatening voice. "It's up to you to decide how to handle things. Sayora-chan is right there in front of you. Just take it or leave it. It's that kind of situation."

Tohru eyes widened at what Shigure had said. Kyo only got angrier. He searched his mind for something he could say to shout back at Shigure but he was too distracted by his anger.

"Tch!" he grabbed his backpack and walked out of the house, slamming the door shut.

"Ah! Kyo-kun!" Tohru called.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Kyo had walked to school by himself, trying to cool off.

_What's with him anyway?!_ he fumed. _Saying things that piss me off. What the hell does **he** know anyway?!_

"Yo," he was greeted by Uo as he sat down at his desk.

Kyo didn't reply. Uo got in his face and made him look at her.

"I said yo," she repeated.

"I heard you the first time!" he replied irritatedly. "Now get outta my face!"

"Well isn't someone a little grumpy today?" Uo asked sarcastically.

"Perhaps you've been dumped again," Hana said.

"Hey, where's Tohru?" Uo looked around.

Right on cue, Tohru walked into the classroom.

"You left her to walk to school by herself?!" Uo demanded to know.

"I sense distressed waves coming from Tohru-kun," Hana informed.

"Alright, what'd you do to her?!" accused Uo right away.

"Nothing!" Kyo quickly denied, defending himself.

"That isn't what her waves are telling me," Hana also accused.

"What the hell?!"

"Ahh! Please don't fight!" Tohru quickly pleaded as she joined them.

"Geez, so much commotion and school hasn't even started yet," came Sayora's voice as she and Sawaki walked up to them.

"Or perhaps it's you who Tohru-kun is concerned with," Hana turned and said to her.

"What?" Sayora asked, having no idea what Hana was talking about.

"Orangey here made Tohru walk to school by herself," Uo informed.

"Tohru, are you done with my chemistry notes?" Sayora asked.

Uo looked a bit surprised at how what she said was ignored.

"Oh! Not yet," Tohru replied. "I'm sorry, do you need them?"

"You can just use mine Sayora," Sawaki offered, reaching into his backpack and taking out his notes.

"Are you sure you take good notes?" she asked playfully.

"That's mean!" he whined as he handed them to her.

"Awwww, look at how nice he is," Uo said, "unlike Kyon over here who made Tohru walk to school by herself."

"No really, it's fine!" Tohru replied.

"Why do you need the chemistry notes anyway?" Uo wondered. "We don't have that class till next period."

"I didn't do yesterday's homework, so I need to finish it before next class," Sayora answered.

"Oh crap! I completely forgot about it too!" she exclaimed. "I bet you didn't do it either, did you Kyon?"

"I did it last night so quit insulting me already!" Kyo yelled. "I'm not stupid like you!"

"Fine!" she shouted back. "Then let this stupid person copy off your homework!"

"Why should I?!"

"Because if you do, I'll forgive you for making Tohru walk to school by herself!"

"I didn't do anything wrong in the first place!"

"Oh yeah?!" Uo turned to Sayora. "Tell him how wrong he was to make her walk to school all by herself!"

"Sorry Yuki and I couldn't walk with you," Sayora said to Tohru.

"Ah! It's—"

"I didn't say _apologize_!" Uo scolded, cutting Tohru off. "I told you to yell at Kyon for ditching her."

"Now, now… no need to get them into an argument…" Sawaki replied with a sweat drop.

"What are you talking about? Arguing is all they ever do! Isn't that right Kyon?"

Tohru was getting worried. She had a bad feeling.

"Would you quit it already?" demanded an irritated Kyo. "You're making Tohru on edge!"

Hana and Uo stared at him inn utter shock and amazement.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh my, I think my ears are playing tricks on me," Hana said to Uo.

"Me too," she agreed. "It sounded like he cared."

"Yes, indeed it must be a trick."

Uo nodded in agreement.

"Would you quit insulting me already?" he asked, trembling in anger.

"Class is starting! Get in your seats!" their teacher yelled as everyone hurried to their desks.

-----Free Period-----

"Hey, you guys know where Sawaki went?" Sayora asked Uo, Hana, and Tohru.

Kyo twitched at hearing the name.

"Dunno. Try asking Kyon," Uo replied.

"Never mind then… thanks!" Sayora said as she went out of the classroom to continue her search.

"Tch." Kyo got up and left the classroom.

Uo and Hana watched him leave as Tohru fought against the urge to run after him, knowing that she'd only be a bother.

"I wonder what kind of fight they got into…" Hana said to herself.

"I know!" Uo agreed. "Seriously, are they _still_ mad at each other? I mean, I figured they'd at least argue about it, but they're completely ignoring each other. What's going on Tohru?"

"Ah… nothing's wrong! Really!" Tohru tried to convince. "Kyo-kun and Sayora-san are fine!"

"Ha! Yeah right! It's gotta be some huge problem, right?" Uo continued to question. "I mean, yeah maybe they didn't get along… but they've **never** ignored each other like this before. They're acting as if they don't even see each other."

"It must be a problem only the two of them can fix, right Tohru-kun?" Hana asked.

"Um…" Tohru looked down uncomfortably.

"Even so, I can't ignore this problem and just let it be when it's bothering you this much," Hana said. "When something makes you this worried, it makes Arisa and I uneasy."

Tohru searched her mind for an excuse she could use as a reason for why the two were shunning each other, but failed to think up of anything at all.

"What wrong with them Tohru?" Uo demanded to know. "Did Kyon do something to Sayo?"

"Well…" Tohru trailed off, thinking back on the incident.

"Tohru…" Uo said.

"Um… I'm going to go look for Kyo-kun!" she replied as she quickly got up and left the classroom before Uo and Hana could interrogate her any further. Uo and Hana glanced at each other, both concerned about their friend.

Tohru walked around the school, absentmindedly wandering her way up the stairs that led to the roof. She opened the door and was greeted with a nice, relaxing breeze that blew in as she walked the center of the roof, looking down at the school's front yard. _I just don't understand. Both Kyo-kun and Sayora-san are excluded from the zodiac, but why is it that Sayora-san refuses to accept Kyo-kun? If I think about it… if I **really** think about it, then the fault has to lie with—!!_

Immediately, her eyes widened with shock at what she was thinking. How could she just blame someone like that? Surely, Sayora had her reasons for why she thought she and Kyo couldn't get along.

_I mustn't blame Sayora-san like that…_

"Tohru?" someone asked from behind her.

"Ah! Sayora-san!" Tohru replied as she turned to face her. "I didn't hear you come."

"I was already up here, on _that_ part of the roof," Sayora explained as she pointed to the higher platform. "What're you doing up here anyway?"

"I was looking for Kyo-kun," Tohru answered.

"Oh… hey, have you seen Sawaki?" she changed the subject.

Tohru looked at Sayora sadly. She was looking at the papers in her hands and walking toward the door.

"Um! Sayora-san, may I…" Tohru hesitated. "May I speak with you?"

"Can it wait?" Sayora asked, trying to avoid talking with her which started to make Tohru anxious.

"It's just for a little while," she replied, not wanting to wait until later.

"I don't want to hear it if it's about that cat."

"I just want to understand what's going on! If you keep ignoring him like this—"

"I said I don't want to hear it!!"

"Don't you see Sayora-san?!" Tohru yelled in frustration and desperation. "Even Uo-chan and Hana-chan can tell that there's something wrong!"

"Is it all my fault then?!" Sayora asked, getting irritated and annoyed. "Is it all my fault that Kyo's a monster?!"

"No, it isn't! But it isn't Kyo-kun's fault either!!"

Sayora stared at Tohru speechlessly. She looked away and tried to calm herself down.

"Sayora-san…" Tohru said, not knowing what to do anymore.

"No…" Sayora said.

"_**It all your fault!!"**_

"**_It's all because of you Sayora…"_**

"**_Everything's all your fault, you disgusting wolf!!" _**

"No…"

"_**Out of all the people in the world…"**_

"It's _my_ fault for being born as the wolf…"

"**_Why did you have to become our child…?"_**

"And it's Kyo's fault for being born as the cat…"

"That's a lie! It's not true! Sayora-san!" Tohru objected.

"Then tell me what is…" Sayora replied, staring at Tohru. Suddenly, she felt furious, as if someone had just set off a bomb inside of her. "Tell me one thing in my life that hasn't been a lie!!" she shouted.

"You can't choose who you want to be born as, that's true, isn't it?!" Tohru asked. "But it's also true that you can change!"

"The moment I was born into this family, my future was already decided! I was already set on a one way path!! Being born as one of the cursed zodiac… you can't change!!"

"You can change!!" she shouted, cutting Sayora off. "A one way path in life doesn't exist! As long as you live, there will be choices you can make… so there can be no such thing as a one way path in life!! There's no one in this world who can't change!!"

"You're right…" Sayora replied. "In this world, there's no one that can't change. But the Souma family is like a world of its own, and in our world, we're all born with the same set path. Everything was decided the day we took our first breath. The next wolf will live the same life that I'm living now. The next cat will live the life that Kyo's living and so on… we were born with a path laid before us. Having choices and different paths to take in life… no such **miracle** exists in this family!!"

"Miracles will exist if you believe in them!!"

"Just like how your mom got killed?!" she shouted, Tohru's eyes widening in shock. "A miracle could've saved your mom from dieing but it didn't, did it?! A miracle can bring your mom back but you know **it** **won't happen because a miracle is just another fantasy!!** It's no different than wishing for the impossible!!"

Hearing such harsh words come from Sayora, Tohru nearly broke down crying. Her heart ached with a desire to understand and also with the desire to believe in her own words… that miracles existed if she believed…

Sayora tried to calm herself down. She hadn't meant to yell at Tohru and take her anger and frustrations out on her.

"I don't want to hear it…" Tohru said as tears rolled down her face. "Being unable to make choices and being unable to change… I don't want to hear about those kinds of things anymore… because…"

Sayora could hear her sobbing. She felt angry at herself now for making Tohru cry. Without a word, she turned and left the roof, leaving Tohru to cry by herself.

_I don't want to hear it anymore because it **sad!**_ Tohru thought as she fell to her knees and sat on the ground, hugging herself protectively._ So incredibly sad that it hurts!!_

As Sayora was walking down the stairs, she ran into Uo and Hana.

"Oh, Sayo," Uo said. "Have you seen Tohru?"

"Who knows?" she replied as she continued down the stairs.

"Huh? Oi! Sayo, wait!" Uo yelled after her, getting ignored. "Geez… what's up with everyone today?"

Hana and Uo looked up to the roof and saw someone on the ground. They both gasped, realizing who it was.

"T… Tohru!!" Uo called.

The two of them raced up the stairs and knelt by their best friend.

"Tohru-kun! What happened?" Hana asked in concern.

Tohru only shook her head and continued to cry in response.

Uo looked through the opened door in anger as she got up.

"That damn Sayora!!" she muttered angrily, running back out of the door and down the stairs, quickly catching up to her. "Oi Sayora!!"

Before Sayora got the chance to turn around, Uo grabbed her by the back of her shirt and turned her around to face her, slamming her into the wall. She grabbed the collar of her shirt threateningly and glared at her.

"What the hell did you do?!" Uo demanded to know.

"None of your goddamn business," Sayora answered in a tone that warned her not to butt in.

Uo butted in anyway. "Damn right! It'd be none of my goddamn business if it were _you_, but it's my goddamn business if it's _Tohru_!!"

Sayora shoved Uo's hand off of her shirt and glared at her one last time before she turned around and continued down the stairs.

"Stupid ass people always poking their damn noses into other people's business," she muttered.

Uo stared at her as she left, not sure if she was more confused or shocked at the way Sayora was acting. Remembering that Tohru was crying on the roof, she pushed their argument to the back of her mind and ran back up the stairs to comfort her friend…

-----Sayora-----

As Sayora headed back to the classroom, she ran into Sawaki.

"Ah! Sawaki! There you are! I've been looking _everywhere_ for you!" she exclaimed, noticing that there was another person with him. "Oh, hey Kimi…"

"Sayora!" Sawaki replied, sounding surprised and caught off guard.

"Kimi was helping Sawa-chan look for you!" Kimi interrupted in her normal cheerful voice. "YunYun said that he needs YoYo-chan's papers!"

"Yeah, I know," Sayora replied as she turned to Sawaki. "But I need _your_ papers so that I can sort them out."

"I just turned them into YunYun," Sawaki informed.

Sayora sweat dropped. "So you're seriously gonna call him that from now on?"

"Why not?" he asked. "After all, such a _cute_ name for a _cute_ guy."

"Excuse me for being so **cute **then," came a sarcastic voice from behind them.

Sawaki flinched, a shiver running down his spine as he slowly turned around to face the person behind him.

"Ah! YunYun!" he exclaimed. "I mean… Yuki!"

Sayora laughed at Sawaki. Yuki happened to notice some papers in Sayora's hand.

"Are those papers for me?" Yuki asked.

"Oh, that's right," Sayora answered as she handed them to him. "Sorry they're a bit late."

"It's no problem," he replied as he took them from her.

"There you are!!" suddenly yelled an angry voice as everyone looked over.

It was Uo, and she looked furious.

"Uotani-san, what's wrong?" Yuki asked, wondering what was going on.

"_What's wrong?!_" she repeated. "_What's wrong_ is that Sayora made Tohru cry!!"

"Eh?"

Everyone looked at Sayora. Uo continued to march towards her.

"Is there going to be a fight?" Kimi asked with a smile on her face. "Kimi thinks that YoYo-chan will win!"

"Kimi-chan… let's hope that there** isn't** going to be a fight…" Sawaki replied with a sweat drop.

"You owe me an explanation!!" Uo demanded threateningly.

Sayora frowned in irritation. "I don't _owe_ you **anything!**" she replied as she started to walk away from her.

"Sayora, what happened?" Yuki asked alarmed.

"Nothing," she muttered as she continued down the hall.

Yuki watched in confusion and nervousness, wondering what had happened between Uo, Sayora, and Tohru that he was unaware of.

"Hey! You get your ass back here!!" Uo shouted.

"Uotani-san!" Yuki said, trying to calm her down.

"Wait! Sayora!" Sawaki yelled after her as he ran down the hall, trying to catch up.

Kimi, as childish as she was, knew that she shouldn't be there and took her chance to slip away and leave.

"Sayora dammit!!" Uo shouted again.

"Arisa…" came Hana's calm yet stern voice.

Uo turned to her friend as did the surprised Yuki.

"But that—"

"Arisa!" Hana said, more sternly this time, quieting her angry friend down. "It's enough… it's not as if she's not already angry with herself for upsetting Tohru-kun…"

Hearing that, Uo took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Hana was right…

"Hanajima-san…" Yuki said. "What's going on…?"

-----Later-----

For the rest of the day at school, there was an awkward feel in the air between the three Soumas, Tohru, Uo, Hana, and Sawaki. No one said much to one another and tried to avoid conversing with each other, mainly between Sayora, Uo, and Yuki. Finally, after what felt like hours and hours of waiting, the long awaited bell rang, signaling the end of school.

"Hey Sayora," Yuki said as he walked up to her and Sawaki. "Can you stay after to help with some of the council work?"

"No, I'm too tired today," Sayora answered quickly and bluntly as she left the classroom.

"Ah! Sayora!" Sawaki called as he followed her out.

Yuki watched them leave, and then turned to look at Tohru.

"Honda-san," he said.

"Yes?" Tohru asked, putting on a smile as she turned to face Yuki.

"I probably won't be home until late tonight," he told her.

"Oh, okay," she replied. "I'll save some dinner for you then."

"Please be careful on your way home."

"Of course."

Yuki left the classroom and headed down to the student council room.

"_Hanajima-san… what's going on…?"_

"_What the hell do you mean what's going on?" Uo asked. "Shouldn't **you** know?"_

_Yuki looked confused. Uo saw the look on his face and became confused herself. _

"_Wait… don't you know what happened?" she wondered. _

_Yuki shook his head. _

"_We don't really know what happened either," Hana said. "When we got up to the roof, Tohru-kun was crying and Sayora seemed upset. We asked Tohru-kun what was wrong but all she did was shake her head and cry… and when Arisa asked Sayora, all she did was get angry."_

"_Ah…!" Yuki realized what it was all about._

Deep in thought, he slowed to a stop in the hall, halfway to his destination.

_Honda-san and Sayora… _Yuki thought. _It seems unlikely and unusual, but they must've had an argument about Kyo…_

"President…" came a quiet voice which pulled him out of his thoughts.

He looked up to see a familiar person in front of him, staring at him in curiosity.

"Ah, Machi!" he replied, seeming startled. "What're you doing here?"

"I was on my way to the student council room," she answered.

"Oh, me too," Yuki said.

There was a brief period of silence where neither of them could find anything to say to each other.

"Um, do you want to walk together?" Yuki finally asked.

Machi looked surprised and unsure, slowly nodding her head as Yuki turned around and started walking.

"You looked… sad… and troubled…" she said quietly.

Yuki stopped and turned around to look at her, but Machi only stared at the ground. She shifted uncomfortably when Yuki continued to stare at her. Suddenly, he reached out and slid his hand over hers, holding it gently. Machi's eyes widened in shock and her face grew red with embarrassment.

"Let's go, Machi," he said with a smile as he walked with her down the hall.

Machi was still shocked as her eyes wandered to her hand that Yuki was holding. She looked at how their hands were linked and thought about how warm his hands were, and how secure she felt with him holding it. Machi smiled. She didn't know exactly what she was feeling, and no one had ever made her feel this way before, but she liked it. It made her feel happy…

-----Tohru-----

"I'm home…" Tohru announced as Shigure came to greet her at the door, worried about the lack of enthusiasm in her voice.

"Welcome back," he replied, noticing that Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora weren't with her. "Eh? Did you walk home alone today?"

"Yes," she replied, throwing on a weak smile. "Yuki-kun has student council work today."

"What about Kyo-kun and Sayora-chan?"

Tohru's smile faded away fast when she heard their names. Right away, Shigure knew there was something wrong and that something must've happened. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the problem was probably about Kyo and Sayora.

"Um… I'll go get changed and make you lunch," Tohru offered as she looked up, throwing another smile on her face.

"That would be great," Shigure replied. "Thank you."

He watched Tohru go upstairs and then sighed smiling.

"Looks like there's something she wants to talk to me about," he said to himself as he went into the living room and sat down.

A few minutes later, Tohru came back downstairs and went into the kitchen, getting straight to work on Shigure's lunch. As she looked through the refrigerator and pantries, she thought back to the argument she had with Sayora earlier.

"_Being born as one of the cursed zodiac… you can't change!!"_

"_But the Souma family is like a world of its own! We're all born with the same set path!"_

Tohru frowned slightly at what Sayora had said. She hated it. She didn't like hearing about being unable to change because it meant being unable to move forward. It meant that everyone's hard work to work towards their future would mean nothing and she didn't want that. Whether it was true or not, she didn't want to believe that it was possible to remain unchanging.

She pushed aside her thoughts and began to make Shigure's lunch but the argument quickly came back into her mind once again.

"_Then tell me what is… tell me one thing in my life that hasn't been a lie!!"_

_When Sayora-san says things like that, it makes me wonder how her childhood was… _Tohru thought. _Other than knowing that she had a bad past with Akito-san and that her parents have passed away, I don't know much else about her past at all…_

She felt her eyes water up.

_I barely know anything about her past and yet…_ Tohru felt the tears threatening to fall. _And yet… I can be so selfish as to throw all the blame on Sayora-san to bear alone! _

Tohru quickly wiped the tears from her eyes just to have them fill up with new ones.

"_Is it all my fault then?! Is it all my fault that Kyo's a monster?!"_

_Without knowing anything, I tried to blame Sayora-san, saying that it was all her fault that there is a problem between her and Kyo-kun now. I can't believe myself. When did I become so inconsiderate of others? _

_And even though I know I shouldn't, I can't help but think that the fault lies with Sayora-san… even though I **lied** to her and told her that I thought it wasn't her fault… I just can't help but feel that way…_

"_It's my fault for being born as the wolf…"_

"_And it's Kyo's fault for being born as the cat…"_

Her eyes widened at that thought, an even worse question popping into her mind.

_Just who was it… that made Sayora-san think that way?_ Tohru's tears worked their way down her face. _Was it Akito-san?_

"Tohru-kun," Shigure said, abruptly pulling her out of her thoughts.

Tohru looked up startled, quickly wiping her tears away before turning to face Shigure who was standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Sayora-chan just called and said that she's going to be home late tonight, so there's no need to save her any dinner," he informed.

"Oh…" she trailed off. "Thank you…"

Shigure smiled and left the kitchen. Not long after, Tohru finished making his lunch and brought it out to him, setting it on the table in front of him.

"Thank you very much, Tohru-kun," Shigure thanked. "It smells absolutely wonderful!"

Tohru gave a weak smile and sat down next to him, staring absentmindedly at the TV. The two sat in silence. Shigure glanced at Tohru while he ate his lunch, knowing that there was something on her mind bothering her and that she wanted to talk to him.

"Tohru-kun, is everything alright?" Shigure asked, opening up an opportunity for her to talk to him.

"Ah! No, everything's fine!" she assured, taken off guard by the unexpected question.

"You look tired," he replied.

"No, not at all!" Tohru said, trying to prove her point with a big smile.

Shigure stared at Tohru, then smiled as well so he wouldn't arouse any suspicion.

"Yes, I suppose it would take a miracle to make you tired now, wouldn't it?" he joked.

"**_No such miracle exists in this family!!"_**

Tohru's smile faded away and her eyes went wide as she all of a sudden remembered the harsh words that Sayora had spoken to her earlier today.

"So… it would… seem…" she responded to Shigure's statement.

Shigure pretended not to catch the worriedness and sadness in her voice as he went back to eating and watching TV.

"_Having choices and different paths to take in life… no such **miracle** exists in this family!!" _

"_Miracles will exist if you believe in them!!" _

_I say that but… _

"_Just like how your mom got killed?! A miracle could've saved your mom from dieing but it didn't, did it?!"_

_Somehow, Sayora-san… for such harsh words to come from her… it makes me unsure of myself… it makes me lose hope in the things that I believe in. It makes me wonder if what I said was really true… if it was really even possible at all in the first place and if I was only a fool tricking myself to make myself feel better and more secure…_

"_A miracle can bring your mom back but you know **it** **won't happen because a miracle is just another fantasy!!** It's no different than wishing for the impossible!!"_

Tohru clenched her hands on her dress.

_However, if what Sayora-san says is really true, then I want to believe in those impossible fantasies. I want to believe in them with everything I have because… because I want to believe that it will save everyone. I want to believe that it will help everyone be free of the curse… that one day, the curse will suddenly be gone. It may be like Sayora-san said. It may be just another fantasy… I may be wishing for the impossible, but it's a miracle that's worth holding onto… isn't it…? If we believe enough, a miracle could happen, couldn't it…?_

Tohru felt her eyes start to fill up with tears.

"Shi… Shigure-san…" she said hesitantly as she blinked most of her tears away.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Could I…" she hesitated again. "Could I talk to you…?"

Shigure smiled knowingly.

"Is it about Sayora-chan and Kyo-kun?" he asked.

"Actually... it's about the curse…"

Shigure seemed slightly surprised.

"Is it really true?"

"What is?"

"That everyone's lives are unchanging… that…" Tears started to run down Tohru's face. "That the Jyuunishi are living the same lives over and over… that you, Shigure-san, are living the same life as the previous dog… and that Kyo-kun is living the same life as the previous cat… and that…" she trailed off as she tried to wipe away all of her tears.

Shigure smiled sympathetically. "Tohru-kun… you got into an argument with Sayora-chan, didn't you?"

She managed to nod her head once through her silent crying.

"Yes, what Sayora-chan says is absolutely true," he answered honestly. "The first set of Jyuunishi had set the stage and played out our parts. As time passed, though the stage and the actors may have changed, the parts we play are still the same…"

"But how…?" Tohru asked, her voice trembling as she sobbed. "I don't understand… how can it be that the lives of the first Jyuunishi and the lives of everyone now have remained the same? How is it possible… how is it possible to remain unchanging after so much time has passed and after so much …?"

Shigure watched Tohru sit there crying and sobbing and wiping her tears left and right.

"Say Tohru-kun…" Shigure said. "Would you like to know a secret of Sayora-chan's?"

Her eyes widened, wondering what kind of secret it was. She nodded.

"Sayora-chan… is the first female wolf to ever be born into the Jyuunishi… meaning that she is writing the script for the next cursed female wolf."

Tohru gasped in shock.

"Since Sayora-chan is the first female wolf in the history of the Souma family, this is also the first time that we have encountered a problem with the cat and the wolf."

"What do you mean…?"

"Rin never got to finish telling you the story of the cursed wolf," he replied. "Because the cat and the wolf were lovers, God put a curse on them. Each time they were born into the same generation, they would be born the same sex so that they could not fall in love. However, since the cat is a male and the wolf is a female this time, Akito and the other Souma family members want to keep Kyo-kun and Sayora-chan apart."

"I don't… understand…"

"They want to avoid them falling in love at all costs, Tohru-kun," Shigure explained. "They don't want to risk those two betraying _God_."

"… Akito-san…"

"Yes… Akito…"

"Sayora-san… doesn't know this?" Tohru asked.

"No," Shigure replied. "As far as I'm aware of, only Akito, Haa-san, Kazuma-dono, and a few others along with myself know of this… so don't tell anyone, okay?"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"So… that means that..."

"Sayora-chan will determine the lives of the next female wolves to come," Shigure said as a dark smile crept onto his face. "So Tohru-kun, what do you say we make Sayora-chan's part a part worth acting over and over again?"

Tohru stared in confusion, wondering what he had meant by that.

-----Sayora and Sawaki-----

"Here," Sawaki said as he handed Sayora an ice cream cone.

"Thanks…" Sayora replied as she took the ice cream.

Sawaki sat down next to Sayora on the bench. He had decided to take her to a park so that she wouldn't have to go home.

"Say Sayora… I'm not trying to pry or anything like that, and I'm not trying to make you mad by bringing up an unwanted subject, but I'm just curious," Sawaki said. "What in the hell did Kyo do to make you so angry?"

"You should forget about it," Sayora said as she finished her ice cream cone.

"I mean, didn't you like him?" he asked. "You even told me that he was your boyfriend when I tried to ask you out at first…"

"I never liked him," Sayora denied. "I just used him as an excuse because you were freaking me out."

Sawaki sweat dropped. "I… I was freaking you out?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking at him as if it should've been obvious. "You were after me like crazy. _Anyone_ would've been scared."

"That's mean!"

"Not half as mean as when you took advantage of me that night," Sayora teased. "I was being depressed and you took your opportunity to ask me out, _knowing_ that I would say yes."

"Sa-Sayora! I thought we agreed that I didn't take advantage of the situation!!"

"Well I changed my mind."

"Sayoraaa!!" Sawaki whined as Sayora laughed.

After they settled down, Sayora sighed tiredly and stretched, leaning back on the bench.

"Hey Sawaki…" Sayora said. "Thanks a lot."

"Huh?"

"Sometimes, I feel like you're the only one who's there for me, you know?" she replied.

Sawaki didn't know whether to be surprised or happy to hear that. He felt both at the same time, yet he also felt sad. However, he just smiled at her comfortingly.

For the next few minutes, they sat there in silence. They both had things on their minds. After hesitating a few times, Sawaki finally spoke up.

"Sayora… we need to talk about something…"

After a while, Sayora responded. "Right now?" she asked quietly, sounding tired.

"You know, just because you guys couldn't find a hotel doesn't mean that you should get it on in a park where people are watching you," came a sly voice from behind them.

Startled, Sawaki and Sayora turned around and nearly jumped off the bench when they were greeted by a huge, idiotic smiling face.

"Manabe!" Sawaki exclaimed.

"Yo!" Kakeru replied as she stood up.

"Don't scare us like that!" Sawaki yelled.

"Hey YoYo-chan!" Kimi greeted Sayora while waving happily to her.

"What're you guys doing here?" Sayora asked.

"We were walking home," Kakeru answered.

"Are you sure _you guys_ weren't trying to get it on in the park?" Sawaki asked suspiciously.

Kimi gasped as a look of shock came on her face.

"Kakeru is two-timing on his girlfriend?!" she asked in disbelief. "How terrible! Kimi will have to report this right away!"

"What can I say?" Kakeru asked. "I'm just irresistible. At least the girls come to me, unlike a certain girl who _goes_ to every boy she sees."

"So Kakeru is admitting that he's two-timing on his girlfriend?" Kimi asked.

"As long as she doesn't find out," he replied with a proud smirk on his face.

"Busted," Sayora and Sawaki said at the same time.

"Huh?" Kakeru turned around to face a tape recorder that Kimi held up to his face. He sweat dropped and paled.

Kimi smiled a **big** smile. Her face seemed friendly enough, but the aura around her spelled trouble for Kakeru.

"Bye YoYo-chan! Bye Sawa-chan!" Kimi said as she got ready to run off. "Kimi has to go blackmail Kakeru!"

With that, she took off running.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!" Kakeru screamed as he chased her as if his life depended on it. "Gimme the tape!!"

Before Sayora and Sawaki knew it, Kimi and Kakeru were out of the park.

"Well _that_ was random," Sawaki said.

"What _isn't_ random with those two?" Sayora asked.

The sky was starting to get dark and it started to get chilly.

"We should grab some dinner," Sawaki suggested. "After we're done, I'll walk you back home."

Sayora smiled and nodded in agreement.

-----About 3 Hours Later-----

Sawaki and Sayora were in front of Shigure's house.

"Well, I'll see you in school tomorrow," Sawaki said.

"Yeah," she replied. "Thanks for today."

"Anytime!" he said. "And Sayora… about what I needed to tell you…" he paused for a moment, then put on a happy and cheerful smile. "I'll tell you some other time, okay?"

"Yeah," Sayora smiled as well.

"Cya."

"Bye."

As Sawaki walked home, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" answered a cheerful female voice.

"Hey, it's me!" Sawaki replied enthusiastically. "Just calling to check on you."

"Awww, how sweet!" she said in a sarcastic, jokingly way.

"Just wait one more day, okay?" he asked. "Tomorrow, I'm going to have a talk with Sayora…"

"You don't have to rush! I know you'll behave!" she joked.

Sawaki laughed.

"No, I should hurry and get it over with," he replied. "The sooner I talk to Sayora, the sooner I can go back to bring _your_ boyfriend. Not being able to hang out with you is killing me. Well anyways, I'll see you in school tomorrow."

"Okay, bye!"

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 21- Locked Away Past

The angry and frustrated Kyo picks a fight with Sawaki at school… will Kyo decide to give up on Sayora like she wanted him to? And is that really what Sayora truly wants? The mysterious past between Sawaki and Sayora is finally revealed, but Asaru isn't the only person Sawaki talks to her about… and just who is the girl Sawaki keeps calling? Will Sawaki and Sayora finally part ways?


	21. A Locked Away Past

**dna-** first off... so sorry this took such a long time!!!! my laptop hated this chapter! it deleted this chap **3** **times!!** and while i was rewriting it the 4th time, the laptop broke down... so i had to write it on the computer in the living room. also, i kinda "combined" chapter 21 and 22 since it took me nearly half a year to update haha... but anyways thats why this chap is so long. sorry for such the long wait!!

**Hopeless Chapter 21- A Locked Away Past**

Tohru came downstairs and entered the living room, expecting to see everyone there. However, the only person who was there was Shigure.

"Oh, good morning Tohru-kun," he greeted with a smile, setting his newspaper aside.

"Good morning," she replied. "Where is everyone?"

"Yuki-kun and Sayora-chan already went to school," Shigure answered. "As for Kyo-kun, he didn't come home last night."

"Eh?!"

Shigure laughed. "Don't worry. He stayed at Kazuma-dono's dojo."

"Oh," Tohru said in relief, and then smiled. "I'll make you some breakfast, Shigure-san."

"No need to bother, Tohru-kun," he replied as he got up. "I'm about to leave."

"Eh?"

"I need to see Akito-san today," he explained.

"_They don't want to risk those two betraying __**God**__."_

"Tohru-kun?" Shigure called, pulling Tohru out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Yes?!" she asked slightly startled.

"I said that Haa-san is coming by later today," he repeated. "I'm not sure if I'll be home in time so could you wait for him?"

"Yes, of course," she replied.

"Well then, I'll see you later Tohru-kun!" Shigure said cheerfully as he left the house.

-----At School-----

Uo was at Hana's desk, glancing over at Kyo every once in a while. Kyo noticed and was getting annoyed.

"What're you whispering for?" he asked in an aggravated voice. "Why don't you say it so I can hear it?"

The two girls looked at Kyo.

"Fine then, I will," Uo replied in a firm and challenging voice as she stood up and took a few steps toward his desk. "It's cool when two strangers become best friends, but it's just stupid when best friends become strangers."

"And who the hell do you think you are to keep poking your damn nose into our business?" came an equally aggravated voice from the classroom entrance.

_Sayora…_ Sawaki thought as he walked in behind her.

"It's not only _your_ business when Tohru's involved," Uo said, glaring at Sayora.

"You don't get to decide that," Sayora replied, glaring right back at her.

"Neither do you," Hana joined as she stood next to her friend. "It doesn't matter if the problem originally only involved the three of you. If Tohru-kun becomes involved and gets hurt because of your inconsideration, then I will make this my problem as well. Obviously, if Arisa and I don't step in to protect Tohru-kun, both of you will continue to hurt her."

"The only people inconsiderate are you and that yankee!!" Kyo shouted.

"You wanna say that again?!" Uo asked.

"Please, correct me if I'm wrong," Sayora said sarcastically before she started yelling, "but I the way I remember it is that you and Saki were the ones that hurt Tohru!"

"Don't throw the blame on other people when you clearly know that it was your fault!" Uo argued.

"_My_ fault?!" Sayora asked. "You were driving Tohru nuts with all your questions and suspicions!! If you'd have just kept your mouths shut, everything would've been fine!!"

"But everything _wasn't_ fine," Hana said. "We could see it… Tohru-kun was hurting inside. If both of you took the time to look at the people affected by this _argument_ of yours, you'd know that—"

"What?" Kyo asked in a dangerous voice that didn't faze Hana one bit. "I'd know that _what_?!"

"That you're breaking everyone," Hana said, giving Kyo a hard glare. "You're taking away their happiness. You're selfishness has made you the source of everyone's pain."

Kyo's eyes widened in rage as his mind went blank. He lunged at Hana and Uo. A few of the girls in their class screamed in shock as Sawaki quickly moved in and pulled him back.

"Kyo! Stop!!" Sawaki yelled.

"You're the one breaking people apart!!" Kyo shouted furiously at Hana. "Who the hell do you think you are?! You think you're so perfect?!"

"We may not be perfect but at least we're nothing like you two!!" Uo shouted back. "Quit thinking that your problems are the only ones that count!! Quit dragging unnecessary people into your stupid little arguments!!!"

"What about you?!" Sayora snapped. "Why don't you quit dragging _yourselves_ into our problems?! **Why can't you just stay the hell out it?!!**" she shouted as she punched Uo in the face, causing the girls in their class to scream again.

"Sayora!" Sawaki yelled, still holding Kyo back.

"Why you!!" Uo growled as she tackled Sayora and started wrestling around with her.

Yuki could hear the commotion all the way down the hall and rushed back to the classroom to see what was going on. When he entered, he almost didn't know what to do. For a moment, all he could do was stand there and watch in shock.

"Get the hell off of me!!" Kyo shouted at Sawaki as he elbowed him off.

"What the hell's your problem?! Calm your ass down!!" Sawaki yelled as he punched Kyo out of anger from being elbowed.

"Sayora! Stop!" Yuki could hear Hana demand.

Sayora slammed Uo against the wall. Meanwhile, the fight with Kyo and Sawaki was getting nasty. Finally, as if he had just woken up, Yuki rushed in to try to break up the fight between the two boys.

"Kyo!!" he yelled as he tried to hold him back only to get kicked in shoulder. Wincing slightly from the impact, Yuki attempted to stop the fight one more time. "Kyo!!!"

"You stay the hell outta this you damn rat!!"

Unable to stop the fight, Yuki began to get irritated. He was about to take Kyo out to end the fight between him and Sawaki.

"Please stop!!" someone yelled from the entrance of the classroom.

However, no one seemed to have heard it as they continued to fight each other.

"Stop it!! Please stop it!!"

Sayora shoved Uo away from her and they were about to go at it again when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind.

"Get the hell off!!" Sayora yelled furiously as she roughly shook the person off.

"Ahh!" the person let out a small cry as she fell to the ground.

Everyone froze. Immediately they felt guilty.

"H-Honda-san!" Yuki said in shock and at a loss for words.

"T-Tohru!" Uo stammered.

All eyes were on the crying girl on the ground. No one knew what to say. The only thing they felt was overwhelming guilt. They all knew that Tohru's heart must've been broken when she walked in and saw all of her friends fighting each other. No matter how angry they were with each other, they should've been more careful. Uo and Hana didn't want burden Tohru with even more problems when they were only trying to help her.

Still recovering from her shock, Sayora started to reach her hand down to Tohru.

"A-are you oka—"

"Don't you goddamn touch her!!" Uo shouted, cutting her off as she smacked her hand away.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Sayora asked.

"Please stop it!" Tohru begged when she heard her friends begin to fight again. "No more… please no more!!"

One look at Tohru and everyone had no choice but to calm down.

"This is… this is all my fault…" Tohru sobbed.

They all looked at her in shock and guilt. They didn't want her to blame herself.

"H-Honda-san…" Yuki trailed off once again.

"I'm sorry," Tohru apologized. "You all are fighting because of me… I'm so sorry…!"

Sayora's hand began to reach down to Tohru again but she hesitated and stopped and looked up at Uo, almost as if asking her if it was okay to help Tohru. Uo looked at her and got the message, lowering her eyes in embarrassment and consent.

"Tohru…" Sayora said as she knelt down next to her and put a comforting arm around her. "I'm sorry… it's not your fault." She paused, then opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again when nothing came to her.

"That's right Tohru-kun… it's not your fault at all," Hana agreed.

"I'm sorry too, Honda-san," Yuki apologized sympathetically.

When all Kyo did was stare at Tohru, Yuki elbowed him on his side. Kyo immediately responded and snapped in Yuki's direction but one look from him made him stop from doing anything else. He got what Yuki was telling him.

"M…me too…" Kyo said as he looked down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry too…"

"No… everything's my fault…" Tohru continued to sob. "I've… because of me…" she trailed off crying.

Uo also knelt down next to Tohru and pulled her into a half-hug.

"It's not your fault Tohru… there are some things that stupid people like us can only understand through arguments and fights," Uo tried to explain. "It's our way of understanding each other… an _idiot's_ way of understanding…"

Sawaki stood there silently. Even though he didn't have anything to do with their argument, he still felt terrible just from watching what was going on.

-----After First Period-----

Sayora was on her way back to the classroom after the short break.

"Oi, Sayora!"

She stopped and turned around, realizing who the voice belonged to.

"Arisa…" Sayora said as Uo came up next to her. "What is it?"

"Well…" Uo said as she let out a sigh, putting a hand behind her head while looking at Sayora with guilt mixed with embarrassment. "About this morning, I'm really sorry… I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand, you know? And I'm sorry for trying to fix your problems too. It's just that… well to be truthful… it's been bothering me and Hanajima cuz Tohru seems to be real down about it… I didn't mean to make it into such a big deal… and—"

"It's okay… really," Sayora interrupted, not liking being apologized to. "It's not like you did anything wrong anyway. You were just trying to protect Tohru, so really, the one who should be apologizing is me…"

Uo didn't know what to say in response so she kept quiet.

"Well, I'll see you in class," Sayora said as she walked back in the classroom.

-----Lunch-----

Kyo was walking down the hall on his way to buy lunch when he saw Sayora walking towards him. However, her gaze was averted straight ahead of her. Wanting to try to talk to her, he walked in her direction.

"Hey…" he said.

Sayora looked at him from the corner of her eyes and ignored him. She was startled when Kyo grabbed her hand and turned her around to face him.

"I said hey…" he tried again, hoping she would talk to him.

She glared at him and shook his hand off of her.

"I heard you the first time," she muttered, annoyance clear in her voice as she continued down the hall.

Kyo frowned, irritated with the fact that he kept being ignored.

"Would you hold on a minute?!" he asked loudly, grabbing her hand again.

"Let go!!" Sayora demanded, struggling to free her hand.

"Just listen to me!"

"I said stop!!"

"Just one second!!"

"Hey," came Sawaki's stern voice as he grabbed Kyo's wrist and yanked his hand off of Sayora's hand. "_Just whose girl do you think you're touching?_" Kyo eyes widened and his teeth were gritted in anger, remembering that he had said those exact words to Sawaki before. "She said to **let go**."

"I told you to leave me the hell alone!" Sayora said to Kyo. "We have **nothing** to do with each other at all, so stop acting like you matter to me, or that I matter to _you._ You have _no place_ in my life. Make sure you **remember** that!!"

Sayora stared at Kyo in silence, as if making sure to get her point across to him. Sawaki glanced at Sayora out of the corner of his eye.

"Let's go, Sayora," he suggested, taking her hand as he led her down the hall.

"Yeah," she replied.

Kyo watched the two of them leave, trembling in furiousity. Inside, he felt like there was fire burning everywhere. He hated Sawaki so much that it took him everything he had to not run after him and kill him. In fact, the hatred he had for him right now was so great that his hate for Yuki seemed like nothing at all.

Unbeknownst to him, Tohru was watching the whole thing from the corner behind where he was standing. Tohru looked at him with very, very sad eyes. All she wanted to do was run up to him and hug him and cry, but she reminded herself that it was impossible. The only thing she could do was watch…

-----Sayora and Sawaki-----

Sayora and Sawaki were walking aimlessly about the school.

"What happened back there?" Sawaki asked curiously.

"Nothing," Sayora answered bluntly.

Sawaki stared at her somewhat sadly.

"_**I hate him!!"**_

"Say, Sayora…" he said in a depressed sounding voice as she turned to face him, a bit worried about the way he looked. "If he's that desperate, maybe you should hear him out. Maybe… you should listen to what he has to say to you."

Sayora shook her head. "No, I'm done listening," she said. "Anything that comes out of his mouth will be nothing but lies."

"Really?" he asked. _Are you saying that everything __**you**__ tell __**him**__ is the truth? It's not like he's the only one that's lying… because you've always been lying to him too. You yourself should know better than anyone else… _"To me, it sounds like he wants to speak to you from his heart. And I know how corny and stupid that sounds, but I think you know that too."

"The only thing I know," she replied, "is that I never want to have anything to do with him again."

"Why?" Sawaki wondered. "What did he do to make you think that? What did he do that made you _"hate"_ him so much?"

Sayora sighed quietly, her eyes slowly wandering around as if deep in thought. "Just forget it," she said. "It's not important. And even if it were, it means nothing to me."

"But to me, it sounds important. It sounds like it means the world to you…"

Sayora let out a small laugh under her breath. "What world?" she asked, looking at Sawaki. "My _"world"_ crumbled that day. There's nothing left."

Sawaki stayed quiet. The look in Sayora's eyes just killed him… they looked drained, tired… sad.

"I trusted him," Sayora said through her teeth, sounding as if she wanted to cry. "I **trusted** him. Why couldn't he just… it's all his fault…"

"Sayora…"

She kept her gaze on the floor.

"Have you seen YunYun's Machi?"

"Eh?" Sayora looked at Sawaki who turned to look at her.

They both stared at each other in confusion.

"Well YoYo-chan?" came Kimi's voice.

"Well Sawa-chan?" came Kakeru's voice at the same time.

"Ahh!!" Sayora and Sawaki both cried in surprise as they turned around to face the other two.

"Stop sneaking up on us like that!" Sawaki demanded. "And don't call me that again!!"

"And what do you mean by _YunYun's Machi_?" Sayora asked.

"YunYun wants his Machi!" Kimi clarified.

"Translation," Sawaki said.

"YunYun needs the papers that Machi has with her," Kakeru explained.

"So YunYun wants his Machi," Kimi finished.

Sayora and Sawaki sweat dropped.

"Have you guys seen her?" Kakeru asked.

They shook their heads no as Kakeru let out a loud sigh.

"Man, we've been looking for her all day!" he complained. "She's always wandering around somewhere and it's always impossible to track her down! I mean, I'm the school's _vice president_ for crying out loud! I shouldn't have to walk around the school looking for people!"

"So?" Sayora asked.

"Therefore, as the school's vice president," he started, Sayora and Sawaki able to feel something stupid coming up, "I ORDER YOU TO LOOK FOR MACHI AND TELL HER THAT YUNYUN WANTS HIS MACHI BACK!!!"

"You know Yuki's gonna kill you if he hears you saying that?" Sayora warned.

"Oh, he won't mind!" Kakeru replied confidently. "Those two are **perfect** for each other! Haven't you seen the way they look at each other?"

"I guess you're right…" she replied, thinking back to when she saw them together.

"_Of course_ I'm right!"

"Uh oh, Kimi sees Nao-chan," Kimi said.

"Well then, see you guys later!" Kakeru said as he quickly took off with Kimi right behind him.

"Bye bye!" Kimi yelled.

"There you are, Mobaro-kun!" someone said.

Sayora and Sawaki turned to face one of their classmates.

"You're on classroom duty today! Don't even think about ditching!" she said with her hands of her hips.

"Oh! That's right!" he remembered. "I completely forgot!"

"Yeah right!" their classmate accused as she dragged Sawaki back to the classroom with her.

"Ah! Hey, hold on!" Sawaki demanded. "See you later, Sayora!" he whined.

Sayora smiled nervously. After Sawaki was out of sight, she let out a loud sigh. It was _finally_ quiet. Having nothing else to do, she decided to take a walk around the school. As she was walking absentmindedly, she noticed someone familiar pass by her. Sayora quickly looked up.

"Machi!" she called as she caught up with her.

She stopped and turned to face Sayora.

"So it _is_ you," Sayora said.

"Is there something you need?" Machi asked bluntly.

"Oh! Yeah," she replied. "Kakeru said that _YunYun wants his Ma_—ahh…" she mentally smacked herself on the head.

Machi only stared at her, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"I mean… uh…" Sayora tried again. "Your brother said that Yuki needed to see you."

Machi had a confused and surprised look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Sayora asked.

As if snapped out of a trance, she looked at Sayora and nodded.

"Well then, I'm gonna go back to class so… see you around, okay?" Sayora said as she left and headed back to class.

Machi stood there, still confused. She turned around and stared at Sayora's back.

_How… how did she find out about Kakeru and me? _she thought to herself.

-----Couple Hours Later-----

"Homework for tonight is to translate all sentences from page twelve to nineteen," Mayuki said as the students let out a loud whine in response. "Class dismissed!"

The students got up and continued to complain as they left the classroom.

"Don't whine! You're lucky I'm not assigning the whole book!" Mayuki replied. "And don't forget your project's due on Friday!!" she yelled.

"Wanna get lunch together?" Sawaki asked Sayora as they walked out.

"Sure," Sayora replied with a smile. "I'm starving."

"Oh, Souma," the teacher called as Sayora walked by her. "Souma wanted to see you." A blank stare from Sayora made the teacher realize what she had just said. "Ah, I mean Yuki," she corrected.

-----Couple Minutes Later-----

"I guess I'm gonna have to get lunch later," Sayora said.

"I'll wait for you near the lunch lines, okay?" Sawaki asked.

Sayora nodded as she walked toward the student council office, wondering what Yuki needed from her.

"See ya!" Sawaki yelled after her as he started his slow walk to the lunch line to kill time.

As he turned a corner, he bumped into someone.

"Ah, excuse…" Sawaki trailed off when he looked up and saw who it was.

Kyo stood there glaring at him.

-----Sayora-----

Sayora was starving. She quickly walked to the student council's office and went in.

_I wonder what he wants…_ she thought to herself. "Yuki!" she called. When no one replied, she tried again. "Yuki!!"

"Eh? YoYo-chan?"

Sayora turned around. "Kakeru!"

"What're you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"I was looking for Yuki," she replied. "He said he wanted to see me."

"Ohhhh! He was gonna give you the field trip permission forms to hand out to the class!"

"Field trip permission forms?" Sayora questioned.

"Yeah, didn't YunYun tell you?" Kakeru asked. "All the eleventh graders are going on a field trip to the beach as a graduation celebration thing."

"No, he didn't…" she replied as Kakeru looked around for the forms.

"Well… I dunno where he put them. You'll probably have better luck coming back later," he said. "YunYun's probably eating lunch with Machi right now." A sly grin appeared on his face. "And who knows what else they're going to do afterwards. On second thought maybe you should come back tomorrow, hehe."

"You know how lucky you are that Yuki's not here right now?" Sayora asked, staring at him with a sweat drop.

"Of course! Why else do you think I would say something like this now?" he replied. "YunYun's not here, so he can't do anything!"

"How very manly of you Kakeru…" she said sarcastically.

"I think you need a new nickname," he suddenly said.

"What?" Sayora asked, not sure she had heard him correctly.

"'_YoYo-chan_ just doesn't sound like you," he said with his eyes shut, pretending to look like he was deep in thought. "Alright, I've got it!!"

"Oh god…" Sayora prepared herself for the worst.

"YonYon!!" he declared proudly.

"No!!" she shouted. "What is it with you and crappy nicknames?!"

"What're you talking about?" Kakeru asked. "It's perfect! YunYun and YonYon!! You can't tell me that doesn't sound catchy!"

"It **doesn't!** It sounds stupid!!"

"Awww, you're just jealous because I came up with such a great idea before you did," he teased. "Well, I've gotta go YonYon!"

Kakeru swiftly escaped from Sayora.

"Bye YonYon!!" she could hear him shout to her.

"Ugh, what a pain in the ass!" she muttered to herself as she headed out to student council office and started her walk to the lunch lines. She needed food.

-----Sawaki and Kyo-----

Kyo was giving Sawaki a death glare. Sawaki stared unflinchingly back at Kyo. He could easily tell that it was taking Kyo everything he had not to lunge at him. After a long while, Kyo breathed in deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. He turned around and began to walk away. Sawaki however, had other plans.

"So, how does it feel not having her there anymore?" he asked in an arrogant voice.

Kyo stopped where he was, trying to stay calm.

"Well?" Sawaki questioned in that same tone of voice.

"You bastard!!" Kyo shouted as whirled around and grabbed Sawaki by the collar of his shirt.

"Are you angry?" Sawaki asked as he glared unflinchingly at Kyo. "Did you just figure out the value of the person you carelessly let go of?"

Kyo tightened his grip on his shirt.

"Are you frustrated now that she's with another man? Knowing that you may never get the chance to tell the woman that you love most how you really feel, does it hurt?"

"Why you…!!" Kyo said between his teeth. "What the hell would _you_ understand?! A guy who's loved by his family… a guy who's never lost anything important to him… a guy like _you_ who thinks he can understand **everything** when he has experienced _**nothing**_ **can never understand a guy like **_**me**_**!!"**

Kyo raised is fist, ready to run it into Sawaki's face.

"**STOP IT!!!**"

A loud smack followed the shouting, stopping Kyo's fist centimeters before it connected with Sawaki's face. The hall went silent. Kyo's eyes went wide in shock. He was stunned; so stunned that he couldn't even move. Standing in front of Sawaki protectively was Sayora who glared angrily at Kyo.

"Sawaki, let's go," Sayora said to him as she took his arm, both turning to leave.

"Wait—" Kyo started.

"You shut up!" she shouted, cutting him off as she turned around to glare at him furiously. "I can't believe you Kyo!!"

Sayora turned around and left, holding Sawaki's hand.

Once again, Kyo was stunned. He was completely frozen in spot, unable to do anything… _say_ anything even though he wanted to. He couldn't believe how angry he had just made Sayora. His mind was racing. Suddenly, he began to feel angry himself… angry at Sayora and how she had been treating him.

-----Meanwhile on the Roof-----

"I can't believe the nerve of that guy!" Sayora complained as she looked down at the front of the school from the roof.

"And _I_ can't believe you smacked him that hard…" Sawaki replied. "Was it really necessary?"

"How can you stand it when someone says those kinds of things to you?" she asked with a frown. "I can't believe how indecent Kyo's become! He doesn't know a _thing_ about you! He has no right to assume that you've lived a "perfect" life!"

"It's really okay," he assured. "He was just angry cuz I said something to piss him off."

"That doesn't matter!"

"Alright, alright, calm down…"

Sayora sighed. "Sorry, I just can't stand it."

The two stood in silence. Sayora was still staring down at the school's front yard.

"You can't stand it because you don't want the guy you love to be like that… right?" Sawaki asked.

Sayora turned around, startled at what she heard him say.

"What?" she asked, not believing she had heard him correctly.

Sawaki moved beside Sayora and took in a slow, steady deep breath.

"We need to talk…" he said.

Sayora looked up into his eyes for a while, and then looked down. She closed her eyes and slowly opened them again.

"Yeah… we do…" she replied.

"Then, I want to start by saying sorry."

Sayora looked at him in surprise when he suddenly bowed to her.

"Sawaki…"

"I thought I knew everything, had it all figured out... I thought there was nothing left to understand, but I was wrong."

"What're you talking about?" Sayora asked, feeling guilty. "Why are _you_ apologizing… when it's me?"

"Asaru… I don't really know what happened to her that day," Sawaki said. "I saw something lunge at her… I came running and I saw her in your arms. When I saw all the blood, my mind went blank... I knew there was no way she was coming back and I panicked… I didn't know what to do. The only thing that made sense to me was that you killed her. I wanted to kill you for murdering the girl that I loved… but I didn't know anything…"

_-----Six Years Ago-----_

_Asaru sat in the living room with her parents and some guests. Suddenly, she saw a small rock bounce off the window. She looked outside. _

_Nothing…_

_Then she noticed Sayora waving to her from behind a tree. Asaru smiled. _

"_Daddy! Can I go play outside?" she asked. _

"_Don't be home late," he replied as he turned his attention back to his guests. _

"_Okay!" Asaru yelled as she closed the door and ran outside. _

_Asaru ran into the woods right by her house. Sayora looked around before she did the same. After they were pretty deep in the woods, Asaru stopped and waited for Sayora who caught up shortly. _

"_Hey—"_

"_Sayora!" Asaru said in a scolding voice, hands on her hips. "It's dangerous! Dangerous!" _

"_I know that!" Sayora replied in an irritated voice. _

"_What're you gonna do if you get caught by Akito or someone else? Eeeeverybody knows you're never supposed to leave the Main House!"_

"_Well I'm being extra careful so that no one knows I'm out here. Besides, Akito's meeting with some people somewhere."_

_­__­­"Well whatever," Asaru said as she and Sayora started walking down the trail leading to an abandoned playground somewhere on the huge Souma estate. "I'm just thankful you got me out of the house! I was sooooooo bored in there! Mommy and Daddy always bring guests to the house now…"_

"_Who were those people?" _

"_I dunno," she replied. "Just some friends from work I think."_

_As the playground came into view, Asaru suddenly stopped. _

"_Ah!"_

"_What is it?" Sayora asked. _

"_I just remembered! There's someone I want you to meet!" she replied enthusiastically as she ran to the playground, pulling Sayora along. _

"_Hey! Hold on a minute!" Sayora yelled, almost tripping over her own feet. "Who?"_

"_A friend of mine!" Asaru answered, stopping on the other end of the playground. "Sawa-chaaaan!!" she called. _

_A couple seconds alter, a boy ran out from another trail in the woods, stopping in front of them. _

"_Hey!" he greeted with a smile. _

"_Sayora, this is Sawaki! He's a friend from school!" Asaru introduced. "Sawa-chan, this is my best friend Sayora!" _

"_Nice to meet cha!" he said, greeting Sayora with a bright smile._

"_Y-yeah…" Sayora replied uncomfortably. She stepped back and hid behind Asaru. _

"_Eh? What's wrong?" Asaru asked her quietly._

"_He's a boy, Asaru…" Sayora said in a hushed voice. _

"_Yeah, I am," Sawaki replied, giving her a weird look. "Are you scared of boys or something?" he asked jokingly. "I don't have germs you know."_

"_It's not like that!" Sayora objected. "It's just…"_

"_What?" he asked. _

"_Don't worry Sayora!" Asaru assured. "It'll be fine!" _

"_But…" Sayora said worriedly. _

"_It's okay," Asaru whispered quietly to her. "He won't find out."_

_Sayora looked at her friend with uncertainty. "I dunno…" she replied. _

"_Are you guys talking bad about me?" Sawaki asked. _

"_Ah! No!" Asaru quickly objected._

"_Just kidding!" he replied laughing. "You always take things so seriously!" _

"_That's because I can never tell when Sawa-chan's joking around or being serious!" Asaru whined. _

"_When have I __**not**__ been serious?" Sawaki asked._

"_Huh?" Sayora and Asaru gave each other confused looks. _

"_Hey! Who's there?!" someone suddenly shouted, startling the three children._

"_Ah!" the three cried in surprise. _

"_Sayora, run!" Asaru quickly said. "Hurry!!"_

"_C'mon!!" Sayora said to Sawaki, grabbing his hand and running off. _

"_Hey! What're you doing?!" Sawaki asked. "Asaru—"_

"_Shhh! It's okay!" Sayora replied in a hushed voice, dragging him behind the bushes and trees nearby. "Asaru won't get in trouble!" _

"_Who's there?!" they could hear the voice demand, causing them to shut up. _

_A tall man came out from the woods. _

"_It's me! Asaru!" Asaru yelled to the man. _

"_Oh, it's only you…" he replied as he walked up to her and looked around. "Are you alone?" _

"_Mm hm," she answered. "Why?"_

"_Oh, it's nothing," he assured her with a smile. "There was someone who snuck in earlier. I can't seem to find him."_

"_Oh…"_

"_Well, be careful, okay?" _

"_Okay!" _

_The man turned around and went away. Asaru let out a sigh of relief as she turned around and waved to Sayora and Sawaki, telling them that it was okay to come out. _

"_That was close, wasn't it?" Asaru asked with a relieved smile._

"_Yeah," Sawaki agreed as he turned to Sayora. "Why were __**you**__ hiding?" _

"_Cuz I'm not supposed to be here," Sayora answered. _

"_Huh?" Sawaki was confused. "What do you mean?"_

"_**You're **__not supposed to be here either," Sayora said, changing the subject. "How did you get in anyway?"_

"_I showed him how to sneak in," Asaru replied with a guilty smile. _

"_Asaru!" she said in a scolding voice with her hands on her hips. "Why would you want to do something like that?"_

_Sayora and Asaru missed the shocked expression Sawaki had on his face upon hearing what Sayora had said. _

"_Don't worry, it's fine!" Asaru assured. "Anyway, let's play!" _

"_Play what?" Sayora asked. _

"_Hey Sawa-chan, let's play that game we were playing with the other guys yesterday!" Asaru suggested, snapping him out of his thoughts. "That really really fun one!" _

"_Haha! Okay," he replied, quickly recovering. "But first we have to explain the rules to Sayora!" _

_-----Couple Hours Later-----_

_Sayora looked up at the darkening sky. _

"_Hey Asaru," she called. _

"_Yeah?" Asaru asked. _

"_I'm gonna go back now," Sayora replied. _

"_Huh?" she turned to Sawaki. "Hey Sawa-chan, what time is it?"_

"_Umm," he replied, looking at his watch. "Almost six."_

"_You've still got time Sayora," Asaru said. "About another hour."_

"_Yeah, but I wanna get back just incase," Sayora replied. _

"_Oh… okay then," she said. "I'll see you again sometime this week right?" _

"_Maybe," Sayora answered as she started to leave. "Well, later!" _

"_Bye!" Asaru yelled to her. _

"_See ya!" Sawaki said._

"_Do you have to go too?" Asaru asked. _

"_In about half an hour," he replied. _

"_Oh, then we should start heading back…" she said, starting to walk Sawaki back to the place where he had snuck in._

_As they were walking, Sawaki suddenly said something that startled Asaru. _

"_I don't think your friend likes me very much." _

"_What're you saying?" Asaru asked. "__**Of course**__ she likes you! Why would make you think otherwise?!" _

"_Hey, chill," Sawaki replied. He hadn't meant to upset her. "It's just that she didn't seem too excited to meet me, you know?"_

"_It's… it's not like that…" she said sadly. _

"_Hey, cheer up, Asaru!" he pleaded. "I was just kidding! You know me! I wasn't accusing her of anything!"_

"_What about Sawa-chan?" Asaru asked, earning a confused look from Sawaki. "Does Sawa-chan… not like Sayora…?"_

"_What?" _

"_Do you…not like her?" _

"_Asaru…"_

_Sawaki could see that sad look on Asaru's face, but more than that, he could see the fear in her eyes. _

"_What are you afraid of?" he asked worriedly._

_Asaru smiled a frightened smile, as if trying to comfort herself. "Of Sayora being lonely…" she replied, earning yet another confused look from Sawaki._

"_What do you mean?" he wondered. "Why would she be lonely? It's not like she doesn't have any friends, right?" _

"_You're right," Asaru agreed. "I doubt that I'm her only friend, but I wouldn't be too surprised if that were the case…"_

"_Is she hard to get along with?" _

"_No, Sayora is __**special**__."_

"_Special?"_

"_Yeah. She's not allowed outside the Souma property unless she has permission from the head of the family and has someone with her. Even __**within**__ the Souma property, there are few places she can go. That's why she had to hide when that guy was coming, because she's not supposed to ever leave the Main House property. And even though there are lots of kids living here, she's not allowed to go talk or play with them. That's why I hang out with her a lot…" Asaru explained. "I'm afraid that she'll get lonely. She may seem like a distant person, but if you get to know her more, I'm sure you'll like her too Sawa-chan…"_

_Sawaki put his hand on Asaru's head and pulled her into a gentle, comforting hug._

"_Eh? Sawa…chan…?"_

"_Asaru, you idiot," Sawaki said quietly. _

"_Huh?"_

"_If you keep worrying about something so pointless, you're only going to make her feel guilty."_

"_Sawa-chan!" Asaru said as she pulled out of his hug. "Why would you say something like that?"_

"_If you knew that you were constantly making someone worried, wouldn't you get sick of yourself?" he asked. "Wouldn't you want to make yourself disappear from the guilt?"_

_Asaru looked at Sawaki speechlessly. _

"_You're a good friend Asaru, and I'm sure she knows that, so you don't have to keep worrying about her being lonely," he continued. "After all, one good friend is all it takes to make a difference, and you're a __**very**__ good friend."_

_Asaru smiled, feeling her heart break from such kind words. _

"_Thank you, Sawa-chan," she said as Sawaki pulled her into a hug again. "__**Thank you**__."_

_-----Few Weeks Later -----_

"_Hahaha! Too slow Asaru!" Sawaki yelled as he ran away from her. _

"_Give it back, Sawa-chan!" _

"_No way!" he replied, pulling the photo right out of her reach. "If you want it, come and get it!" _

"_Sawa-chaaan!!" Asaru whined. "Sayora can't see that!" _

"_What can't I see?" Sayora asked from behind, quickly swiping the photo from Sawaki's hand._

"_Ah!" Sawaki cried in surprise._

"_What's this?" Sayora asked, taking a look at the photo._

"_Wait, Sayora!" Asaru shouted. _

"_Whoa! That's not something you want to look at," Sawaki said as he quickly snatched the picture back from Sayora's hand_

"_I'll decide that for myself," Sayora replied as she swiftly reached for the photo. However, Sawaki was too quick and pulled the picture out of her reach. Sayora tried a second time only to fail again… and again, and again, and again, and again. She was finally starting to lose her patience. A vein appeared on her head. "Lemme see the photo Sawaki!!" she demanded. _

"_Haha! Sorry, no can do!" he replied, backing away from Sayora. _

"_Ah! Sawa-chan, watch out!" Asaru warned. _

"_Huh—wah!!" Sawaki shouted as he fell on his back after tripping on a rock. _

_The picture slipped out of his hand and floated into Sayora's._

"_Serves you right!" Sayora said triumphantly as she took a look at the picture. Her eyes immediately widened in shock as she started to blush furiously. _

"_Whoa there, you okay?" Sawaki asked as he sat up with a sly grin on his face. "It's just your secret lover! Hahahaha!!" _

_In Sayora's hand was a picture of an orange haired boy with a happy smile on his face. _

"_Sh-shut up!!" Sayora shouted. "It's not like that!" _

"_You sure?" Sawaki asked. "That's not what Asaru said."_

_Sayora's head snapped in her direction. _

"_Uh, wait a minute!" Asaru said nervously. _

"_I'm gonna kill you, you—"_

"_Sayora," someone said from behind them, making everyone jump in surprise. _

_The three of them quickly turned around, scared of who it was that just found them. _

"_Ha-Hatori!" Asaru gasped. _

"_Akito's looking for you," he said to Sayora, not even glancing at Sawaki. _

_Sayora was speechless. She was worried about Sawaki and what Hatori was going to do. However, he just turned around and started to walk away. The three kids were confused. Nothing was going to happen? They thought for sure that they were done for. Suddenly, Hatori stopped and turned around. _

"_C'mon Sayora," he said to her._

"_O-okay," she stammered as she ran to him, giving Sawaki and Asaru a quick glance. _

"_Asaru," Hatori said, looking at her. _

"_Y-yes?" _

"_Don't bring him here again, do you understand?" he asked. Although Hatori's voice sounded gentle, the firmness behind it told Asaru to take his warning seriously. _

_With that, he and Sayora walked away. Sawaki sighed in relief when Hatori left. Asaru however, had a worried look plastered on her face. . _

"_Asaru, you okay?" Sawaki asked with concern. . _

_Hatori's words were echoing in her mind. __**"Akito's looking for you…"**_

"_Sawa-chan… you should go home," Asaru said. "I have to go somewhere. Bye!"_

_With that, she ran off. _

_Sawaki couldn't get Asaru's worried expression out of his mind so he decided to follow her. After about ten minutes, he stopped. He was lost… __**Damn! **__he cursed at himself. Suddenly, he heard an angry voice shouting. The shouting led Sawaki straight to the Main House. _

"_How __**dare**__ you leave without my permission!!!"_

_**Who is that?**__ he thought. He couldn't see who was shouting from where he was hiding. The only person he could see was the doctor from before. _

"_Did you honestly think you could sneak away without me knowing?! You ungrateful little—"_

"_Akito!" _

_All of a sudden, he saw someone push Sayora to the ground. Hatori quickly tried to calm Akito down._

"_Ah!" Sawaki cried in surprise. "Sayo—"_

"_Shhh!!" someone hushed, quickly slapping their hand over his mouth. "Be quiet!"_

_Sawaki recognized the voice right away as the person took their hand away. _

"_Asaru…"_

"_Be quiet," she repeated. Asaru was staring at the scene intently. For the first time it seemed, he noticed how close Sayora and Asaru were. _

"_I stay with you everyday and give you whatever you want, and you still have the nerve to disobey me?!" the angry person asked. _

"_Akito, stop!" Hatori said. _

"_Shut up! Don't you dare defend her!!" _

"_She was with __**me**__ Akito," another voice suddenly joined the conversation. _

_There was no response._

"_She said she was lonely so I took her outside to play with me."_

_A couple seconds later, Akito finally replied. "Is that so?" he asked as he stepped out and knelt down beside Sayora who was still sitting on the ground. "You poor, poor child," Akito said, giving her a hug. _

_Sawaki tried to get a look at the person, but a tree was in his way. All he could see was Akito's arms around Sayora. _

"_In that case, I promise I won't leave you alone again."_

_Sawaki heard Asaru let out a relieved sigh. _

"_Let's go Sawa-chan," she whispered quietly to him. _

_He nodded and followed her through the woods._

"_Asaru, who was that?" Sawaki asked after a while._

"_The person shouting?" she asked. "That was the head of the family, Akito."_

"_Why did he push Sayora like that?"_

"_Remember when I told you that Sayora was special? She's kind of like Akito's little pet."_

"_Ah…"_

"_I know it sounds harsh but there's really no other way to put it though…" _

"_Who were the other two that were talking?" _

"_You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you?" she asked with a small laugh. _

"_Oh… sorry, it's just that…" Sawaki trailed off. _

"_That guy that was with Sayora was Hatori," Asaru replied. " He's a doctor. The other guy was probably Kureno."_

"_Kureno?" _

"_I guess you could say he's another one of Akito's __**pet**__."_

"_Oh…" he replied. _

_The two stopped in front of a wall. There was a small gap hiding behind the bushes. _

"_Well, see you soon Sawa-chan," Asaru said. _

"_Is Sayora gonna be okay?" Sawaki asked. _

_Asaru smiled assuringly. "Don't worry. As long as Hatori and Kureno are with her, she'll be fine." _

"_That's good to hear…" Sawaki put on a smile as he walked toward the gap. "Well, see ya." _

"_Oh, and Sawa-chan?" she called. _

"_Yeah?" he asked, turning around to look at her. _

"_Um… I'm sure I don't need to tell you but…"_

"_Don't worry," he replied, smiling knowingly. "I won't say anything."_

_-----Couple Days Later-----_

_Sayora was bored as hell. She had snuck out of the Main House again. Akito had gone out somewhere and wouldn't be back till late night. However, Asaru wasn't there either. She was on a trip with her parents to Okinawa. With nothing to do, Sayora decided to head to the abandoned park and just sit around. When she arrived, to her surprise, there was already someone there. _

"_Ah, Sawaki!" _

"_Eh? Sayora?" he asked, just as confused as he jumped down from the top of the monkey bars where he was sitting. _

"_What're you doing here?" Sayora asked as she walked up to him. _

"_I was waiting for Asaru."_

"_Asaru? Didn't she tell you?" Sayora asked. "She's on a trip with her parents in Okinawa."_

"_Ah! Oh yeah!" he remembered. "I completely forgot!" _

"_Figures," Sayora sighed. "Well, see ya then."_

"_Whadda ya mean 'see ya?'" he asked. _

"_Aren't you leaving? Asaru's not here," she said. _

"_That doesn't mean I have to leave," he replied. "Since I went through the trouble of sneaking in here, let's hang out." _

"_Hang out?" Sayora asked. "Why?"_

"_Because __**we're friends**__."_

_Sayora looked at Sawaki in shock and confusion. "W… what?" _

"_We're friends," Sawaki repeated. "Right?" _

"_Why would you want to… with someone like me…?"_

_Sawaki sighed and smiled, patting Sayora on the head. _

"_That attitude of yours is getting you nowhere fast," he said. "Guess it can't be helped though, the way you are."_

"_Wh-wha…?"_

"_Quit putting on such a tough front all the time and give yourself a break. You're not a bad person. It's okay if you want to protect yourself with that wall you've built up, but… won't you let me get to know more of the real you?"_

_Sayora stood there speechlessly. She couldn't believe what Sawaki had just said to her. _

_Finally, she regained her posture and brushed his hand off of her head._

"_Sayora…?"_

"_I never thought you were stupid enough to say something so corny…" she said, surprising him. _

_Sawaki looked down in sadness. _

"_Where're you looking?" Sayora asked as she turned around to face him with a happy smile. "I though you wanted to see the real me."_

_Sawaki looked up in confusion for a few seconds before a smile grew on his face. He had gotten through to her. _

"_For the first time, let the real me say something to you…"_

_Sawaki wondered what it was she wanted to say to him. _

"_Sawaki, you idiot!!" she shouted, frowning at him. _

"_Eh?! What?!" he asked, startled._

"_You love Asaru, don't you?! Stop making her so depressed!" Sayora continued to yell. _

"_Ah…" Sawaki stared at Sayora wide-eyed. _

"_It's so obvious the way you guys look at each other! How much longer are you gonna keep her waiting?! Don't you realize that you're killing her?! Asaru's been waiting for you!! Do something before she thinks that you just want to be friends with her!" _

_It was Sawaki's turn to be speechless. _

"_Asaru's been waiting for so long… she's been waiting for you to confess! So tell her you love her already!!" _

"_Sayora…"_

_He stared at her, still speechless. Then he suddenly smiled. _

"_The real you… ISN'T CUTE AT ALL!!" he finished with a huge vein popping out of his head. _

"_What?!" _

"_Honestly! Way to chew me out…" he muttered. _

"_You—!!" _

"_But __**thanks**__…" he said with a smile, patting her on the head again. "Maybe a good scolding is what I need to get me moving forward again…"_

_-----Few Days Later-----_

_Ding Dong Ding Dong_

_Sawaki took a long needed stretch. It was finally time for their break. They had been taking their year end exams since morning. _

"_Be back in class in twenty minutes!" the teacher reminded as everyone began to leave the classroom._

_As soon as Sawaki left class, someone jumped on him from behind. _

"_Whoa!!" Sawaki cried in surprise, almost falling forward from the sudden increased weight on his legs. _

"_Hey Saaawa-chan!" a cheerful voice greeted. _

"_Hey Asaru!" he replied with a smile. _

"_What took you so long? I was waiting outside the classroom for forever!" _

"_Stop complaining! My exams were really hard!"_

"_Well they can't be __**that **__hard. I finished mine in less than an hour," Asaru muttered. _

"_Well that's cuz you're only in fifth grade!" he replied, flicking her forehead. _

"_Ow!" she cried, rubbing her head. _

"_Just wait till you get to sixth grade. They make you learn all this crap to get ready for junior high," he added. "And besides, I'm not a little nerd like __**you**__!"_

"_Sawa-chaan!!" Asaru whined. "You're mean!" _

"_I wouldn't be any fun if I weren't!" he replied, both of them laughing. _

_When they both calmed down and stopped laughing, Asaru looked at the ground with a sad smile. _

"_Asaru?" Sawaki asked, sounding a bit worried. _

_Asaru looked up at him. _

"_What's wrong?" he asked. _

"_Oh, it's nothing," she replied. She quickly looked back at the ground when her eyes suddenly started to water up. "I was just thinking… that's all."_

_Sawaki stood there silently, waiting for her to continue. _

"_I mean… you know," Asaru said with a trembling voice. "You're going to middle school next year, so I won't get to see you anymore." She started to silently cry. "I won't get to see… Sawa-chan anymore…!" __**It hurts!**__ she thought, trying to wipe her tears away. __**I'm so scared! What am I going to do without Sawa-chan there anymore?! I don't want him to go away!! I don't want him to—**__ "Ah…" _

_Sawaki suddenly wrapped his arms around her._

"_S-Sawa-chan…" she said, looking up at him. _

"_**Asaru's been waiting for you!!"**_

"_Asaru… you're stupid…" he said with a small smile. "I may be going to middle school, but I promise to see you everyday. __I'll come pick you up from school, and walk you home…and we'll spend time together… just the two of us."_

"_Really?" Asaru asked as more tears slipped out of her eyes. "You would really waste your time to come see me everyday?"_

"_I wouldn't be wasting my time, not if it's __**you**__," he replied as he hugged her tighter. "I promise we'll always be together…" Tears were flooding down Asaru's face. "__**I really love you**__."_

_Asaru couldn't believe her ears. She had been waiting to hear those words from him for so long that it seemed like a dream come true. Slowly, she embraced him back. _

"_Me too, Sawa-chan!" she exclaimed happily. "I really love you too!" __**Don't ever let me go… I want us to stay like this forever!**_

_-----Three Months Later-----_

_Sawaki snuck into the Souma estate and was on his way to the abandoned playground to meet Sayora and Asaru. All of a sudden, someone grabbed his arm, making him jump. Sawaki spun around, scared to death as to who it was that found him. He recognized the doctor looking down at him. _

"_I thought I told you not to come here anymore," Hatori said. _

_Sawaki was trembling. He was speechless. He had been caught…_

"_Hatori-san!" someone called. _

_Sawaki trembled even more. Someone else was coming!_

"_Hatori-san!" the person called again, walking up to him. _

"_What is it?" Hatori asked._

_Sawaki stared at the doctor's back, wondering why the doctor had stepped in front of him to hide him from the other person. _

"_Akito-san is calling for you."_

"_I'll be there in a minute."_

_The person nodded and went away. After he was out of sight, Hatori started to walk away as well. _

"_Um!" Sawaki spoke up, stopping Hatori. "…Why did you help me…?" _

"_What're you talking about?" he asked as he continued on his way. "I don't know anything about that…"_

_**Is he letting me go?**__ Sawaki asked himself. _

_He smiled and silently thanked the doctor as he ran to the playground. To Sawaki's surprise, there was no one there. __**That's weird… did I come on the wrong day?**__ he wondered as he looked around. Suddenly, he heard a scream. Eyes widened in shock, he turned toward the sound. _

_The sky suddenly darkened as thunder roared loudly. Lightening was flashing in the now dark grey sky. Rain started to pour down heavily. _

_**Asaru!!**__ Sawaki thought worriedly as he took off. _

_His heart was racing as he ran through the trees. There was definitely something wrong. The overwhelming feeling almost made him want to puke. Sawaki abruptly stop when he saw something whiz the opposite way past him in the corner of his eye. _

_**What the hell was that…? **__he asked himself. _

_Suddenly, he heard Asaru scream again. Without wasting another minute, he took off toward whatever he had seen. Lightening struck again, briefly illuminating the sky. After a few minutes, the trees finally cleared as he ran out into the open. His eyes went wide in shock, fear, and confusion. He couldn't believe what he saw a few feet in front of him. Soon, his vision became blurry from the tears gathering in his eyes. He couldn't move…_

_In front of him was Sayora, clutching Asaru's body in her arms, crying and sobbing loudly. Asari wasn't moving… there was blood all over her body as well as Sayora's hands. _

_He barely noticed all the adults running to the scene. Two adults were prying Sayora's arms from Asaru's lifeless body. Then some women, probably her mother, took Asaru's body and ran somewhere, screaming for help. Hatori was holding on to Sayora who was trying to free herself from his grasp, screaming and crying still. A man, who was probably Asaru's father, pointed at Sayor and started yelling at her angrily, raising his fist toward her. The next thing he knew, a tall man with brown hair (Kureno) was holding him back and dragging him away from Sayora who was now crying into Hatori's shirt. _

_As Sawaki watched what was happening before him, something started building up inside pf him. He felt his blood boiling. It felt like his body was on fire. _

"_Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Sawaki screamed in rage as he charged toward Sayora. _

_All the adults looked toward him in surprise. _

"_Ah1" Hatori gasped. _

"_Who is he?!" someone demanded to know. _

"_He's not a Souma!" another yelled. _

"_Somebody stop him!" _

_All of a sudden, someone grabbed Sawaki from behind, stopping him from doing anything else. _

"_Let me go!!" Saawaki yelled, struggling to free himself. "Let me go!!"_

"_Kureno!" Hatori called, handing Sayora to him as he walked to the screaming boy._

"_Hatori-san!" the person holding him said. _

"_Let him go!" Hatori ordered. _

"_But—"_

"_I'll handle it," he quickly cut the person off as he took a firm hold of Sawaki's arm. _

_Hatori started to lead him away. _

"_Let me go!!" Sawaki demanded. "Sayora, you murderer!! How could you?! How could you do that to her you monster?!!" _

"_Stop screaming!" Hatori ordered. _

"_Where are you going?" asked a calm voice. _

_Hatori turned around to face Akito. _

"_It's raining…you'll get sick again if you don't go back inside," he said, not answering him. _

"_I asked you a question," Akito said to Hatori while glaring at Sawaki who was looking at the ground, tears running down his face. _

_Hatori mentally sighed. "I was taking him away," the doctor finally replied. _

"_To erase his memories…?"Akito asked as he walked up to them. _

"_Yes."_

_Akito grabbed the collar of Sawaki's shirt and lifted him to his toes. Sawaki still didn't look up at him. _

"_What a pitiful and pathetic child," Akito said in disgust in his low and eerie voice. He let go of Sawaki's shirt. "Take him away," he ordered Hatori as he started to walk away. "Looking at him makes me sick." _

_Hatori turned around and led Sawaki to his house. _

"_Sit down," the doctor said to the little boy as he went into the next room. _

_A couple minutes later, Hatori came back with some towels. He threw the towel onto Sawaki's head. . _

"_Dry yourself off," he said, drying his own hair. "You'll catch a cold." _

_Sawaki sat in silence and didn't do a thing. Hatori left the room again. He came back and knelt down in front of Sawaki, handing him a cup of hot tea. Sawaki looked up at the doctor. _

"_Drink it," Hatori said. "It'll help."_

_Sawaki slowly took the cup into his hands and sipped it a bit, then put it on the floor. Hatori drank his cup of tea and rubbed his eyes in fatigue as he turned around to look at the boy who was staring at the ground. _

"_You don't care either, do you?" Sawaki asked in a tired and sad voice, not removing his gaze from the floor. _

"_What?" Hatori asked._

"_About Asaru…" he clarified. "You don't care about Asaru either, do you…?" Just as Hatori opened his mouth to say something, Sawaki continued. "Heh, why __**would**__ you? I'm sure she meant nothing to you too… all you people… none of you care about her at all!!!" _

"_Stop it!" Hatori yelled firmly, startling the boy. "Stop thinking that she was only important to __**you**__. You aren't the only person who cares about her!" Hatori sighed. "Go home…"_

"_Go home?" Sawaki repeated. "Aren't you supposed to 'erase my memories?' Asaru told me all about it… so why don't you hurry up and do it already?" _

"_I'm not going to erase your memories," he replied, walking out of the room. "Now go home."_

_Sawaki sat there in silence and started to cry again…_

"Over time, people change," Sawaki said. "Things you thought you knew start to become blurry, and you develop a new way of thinking to make the picture clear again… I was stupid. I saw something lunge at Asaru. Then I saw your hands covered in her blood. I thought that it was the only conclusion."

"Sawaki…"

"To be truthful, I still don't know if you killed her or not. I don't really even know what happened there that night… but the level of understanding that I've managed to reach will no longer let me blame you for her death…

"When I transferred here and saw you, I thought to myself _'I __**have**__ to make it up to her.'_ Although I haven't been able to make it up to you yet, I will…"

"Sawaki, you don't have to!" Sayora replied. "I've already let go of—"

"The me that I've become… won't let me walk away with blaming you and not doing anything to amend for it… so I'll make it up to you," he said. Sawaki stretched. "Well, it was fun going out with you Sayora."

"Eh?"

"C'mon," he replied with a smile, knocking her lightly on her head. "You **know** that me asking you out was only an invitation to confront the past, and the fact that you accepted gave me the okay to bring it up. Besides," he said, turning around. "Someone's been waiting for me to go back to her…"

Sayora turned around as well, surprised to find a girl standing at the doorway to the roof.

"No way…"

"Heh heh," Sawaki laughed. "Bet you never expected **us** to be going out."

"Kimi!"

"Heeey YonYon!" she greeted.

"YonYon?" Sawaki repeated.

"Never mind, don't ask," she replied.

"Well, I've gotta go Sayora," he said. "I'll see you in class, okay?"

"Yeah… okay…"

Sawaki walk out of the roof with Kimi.

"Did you get to tell her everything?" Kimi asked curiously. "I didn't interrupt, did I?"

"No, no, don't worry," Sawaki laughed.

As they walked down the stairs, Kimi's hand bumped into Sawaki's a few times.

"You're so shy Sawa-chan!" she laughed.

"No I'm not!" he argued.

Sawaki blushed and looked away, finally taking hold of Kimi's hand. Kimi smiled and looked at him. Sawaki stubbornly kept his gaze away from her and onto the wall next to him.

-----Kyo-----

Kyo was halfway home from school. He still angry about the fight he had with Sawaki earlier. But more than that, he was angry at the way Sayora had been treating him.

"_I can't believe you Kyo!"_

Kyo frowned and slammed his fist on the pole next to him out of frustration.

"My, my Kyo-kun," someone said from behind. "You shouldn't damage public property."

"Shut up Shigure!" he snapped at him.

"Let me take a wild guess," Shigure replied sarcastically. "Judging from that red mark on your face, you got into a fight with Sayora-chan and she smacked you."

Shigure was right on the mark.

"It's none of your business!" Kyo yelled.

"Anyway, are you going to come home today? Or are you going hide out at Kazuma-dono's place again?" Shigure asked.

"Why does it matter to _you_?!" he questioned angrily, walking past his cousin.

"You know Kyo-kun, it'd be a lot easier if you just admitted your feelings for her," Shigure suggested.

"What feelings?!" Kyo shouted as he whirled around to face his calm cousin. "Why in the hell would I have feelings for _her?!_"

Shigure sighed. "Like they say, you know you're in love when the hardest thing to do is say goodbye," he replied. "Or in your case, being said goodbye to… and to me, it seems like your having a **very** hard time dealing with her goodbye to you."

"Hey!! Where're you going you damn dog?!" Kyo shouted when Shigure started to continue on his way.

"I'm going home Kyo-kun," he replied. "If I don't hurry, who knows what Haa-san will do to Tohru-kun!"

-----At School-----

"See ya Mobaro!" a classmate said to him.

"Later Sawaki!" another classmate said.

"Yeah, see ya!" Sawaki replied to them both as he gathered his things.

"Saaaawa-chan!" a cheerful voice greeted from the entrance of the classroom.

"Hey Kimi-chan!" Sawaki replied with an equal amount of enthusiasm.

"Kimi is soooooooo hungry! Let's go eat!" she suggested as they both left the classroom together.

"Okay! Let's go eat the okinomiyaki place!"

"Eh?! But Kimi wants to eat sukiyaki!!"

"But I just had sukiyaki last night for dinner!" Sawaki argued.

"But Kimi wants sukiyaki!!"

They continued to argue as they walked down the hall.

"I _told_ you that I just had sukiyaki last night!"

"That's no good Sawa-chan! You have to eat whatever your girlfriend wants!"

"But—" he cut himself off when he saw Sayora leaving her classroom.

"Sawa-chan?" Kimi asked. She followed his gaze to Sayora who looked their way.

"Um… Kimi-chan…" Sawaki trailed off.

Kimi looked at him and smiled understandingly. "It's okay. Kimi can eat by herself today!" she said.

"Thanks," he replied with a small smile.

"Bye!" she waved to him.

Sayora watched Kimi run off and Sawaki walk up to her.

"Are you going home?" he asked her.

"Yeah…" she replied.

"I'll walk you home," he offered.

"Oh, you don't have to. Anyway, shouldn't you be walking Kimi home instead?"

"Geez, you're so serious!" Sawaki scolded. "C'mon, I'm walking you home."

Sayora reluctantly agreed as they left school together.

"Are you hungry?" Sawaki asked, both of them stopping in front of a bakery.

"A little," she replied.

"Let's go buy something."

They walked in and went to opposite ends of the store. Sayora was looking in amazement at the selection of food they had. They had buns with all sorts of fillings, croissants, packages of small pancakes, doughnuts, cakes, and all sorts of other things. After a while, Sayora decided to just get two pork buns.

"Is that it?" Sawaki asked, his face right next to hers.

"Whoa!!" Sayora cried in surprise, causing him to jump back.

"What?"

_He was so close!!_ Sayora thought to herself. _I could've transformed!_

"Hey!" Sawaki yelled, seeing as how Sayora had space out. "I said is that it?!"

"Yeah," she replied, calming down. Sayora looked at what he was holding in his hands. He was holding a croissant with a hot dog filling and a small box. "You're getting a cake?"

"Yup, it's for Kimi," he said, taking the two pork buns from her.

"Ah, hey…"

"I'll pay for it."

"It's okay," she objected. "I can pay for myself!"

"No! I'll pay for it!" he insisted. "I don't wanna look bad, making a girl pay for her own food when she's out with a guy!"

"But—"

"Consider it a gift to you as our final date then," he said, handing her food along with his own to the clerk.

"You're not getting anything?" Sayora asked.

"No," he replied. "Now be a good girl and wait on the bench outside."

Sayora sighed. "Fine!" she said in defeat as she walked out of the bakery and waited on the bench as she was told.

"That'll be 1100 yen please," the clerk said.

Sawaki handed her a 2000 yen bill.

"Here's your change!" the clerk said with a smile, handing him his change along with his bag. "Thank you, and please come again!"

"Thanks!" Sawaki replied with a friendly smile as he walked toward the door. However, he abruptly stopped. Something wasn't right. He could see the bench right outside the window, but there was nobody there. _Dammit!_ Sawaki mentally cursed as he ran outside and looked around.

-----Sayora-----

"Let me go dammit!!" Sayora demanded angrily, trying to pull her hand free from Kyo's strong grip. "You can't just grab me and walk off!!"

"I can do whatever the hell I want!" Kyo argued, dragging her through a path in a park.

"I was waiting for Sawaki! He's gonna—"

"I don't care what the hell he's gonna do!"

"What the hell is your problem Kyo?!" Sayora shouted.

"I wanted to talk to you!!" Kyo shouted back, stopping where they were.

"Well I'm not interested in what you have to say!!"

"Which is exactly why I dragged you out here! I'm not letting you leave until you listen to me!"

"I said that I'm not interested in what you have to say!" Sayora repeated as she turned away from him.

"Why?!" he demanded to know.

"Because **your words make me sick!!**" she yelled harshly. "No matter how many times you try, I'm not gonna listen!"

"If… if you don't listen to me now, then I'm never gonna listen to you again either!!" Kyo threatened.

Sayora didn't reply. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence.

"I'm just asking for a minute…" Kyo began.

"Leave…" she said, cutting him off.

"…What…?" he asked, unsure if he had heard her correctly.

"I said leave!" Sayora yelled, tears escaping her eyes. She completely turned away from Kyo to hide the face that she was crying.

"But—"

"**Leave!!!"** Sayora screamed.

Kyo frowned. "Fine," he replied. "Then consider this our **goodbye!**"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked by her. Sayora kept her face turned away from him the whole time.

_Don't say that…_ Tears were flooding down her face as her legs suddenly loss strength, dropping her to her knees. _**DON'T SAY THAT!!!!**_ her mind screamed out to him.

Kyo decided that he had had enough. He was sick and tired of trying so hard for someone who didn't care about him at all.

"_You know you're in love when the hardest thing to do is say goodbye."_

_It wasn't hard… _Kyo thought_. It wasn't hard at all… _

Kyo looked up and saw Sawaki running his way, calling Sayora's name. As they crossed paths, Sawaki glanced at Kyo who closed his eyes.

_What the hell is __**he**__ doing here?_ Sawaki asked himself, getting a bad feeling. "Sayora!!" he called again.

About a minute later, Sawaki saw someone sitting on the ground with their shoulders trembling. It didn't take him long to figure out who the silver-haired girl was.

"Oh my god! Sayora!!" he yelled worriedly as he rushed to her. He dropped the bag of food and knelt down by her. "Sayora!" She didn't respond. "Look at me, Sayora!!" he yelled, firmly taking hold of her shoulders. Slowly, Sayora lifted her tear-stained face to meet his concerned one. "What happened?" he asked in a firm voice.

"Kyo…" she sobbed. "He… he…."

"Kyo what?" he asked.

"He said **goodbye**!!" she yelled.

Sawaki didn't reply. He _couldn't_. There was nothing he could say to her to comfort her.

"Sayora…" he trailed off, pulling her into a hug.

"No!!" Sayora yelled, surprising Sawaki when she slapped his arms away. "…I'm sorry… please don't… hug me…"

What she said also surprised him. Sayora knew it sounded kind of harsh and that he had taken it the wrong way, but she didn't want to say anything else at the moment. Sawaki calmed himself down and sat on the floor beside Sayora, silently for her to stop crying.

-----Forty-Five Minutes Later-----

Sawaki was walking Sayora to her house in silence. He didn't want to say something and accidentally upset her. After another ten long and uncomfortable minutes for Sawaki, they finally reached Shigure's house.

"Um…" Sayora trailed off. "Thanks for waiting for me… and walking me home…"

"Shut up," he replied as he continued walking. "I'm walking you to the front door."

Sayora gave him a confused look but followed him none-the-less.

"Well, get lots of sleep tonight, okay?" Sawaki said out of concern. "Don't think about what happened too much. He was just being pissed so—"

"Don't worry," Sayora assured. "I've been holding a lot of stuff in lately so it kinda just came out all at once. It wasn't because of him…"

Sawaki mentally sighed. _Yes it is…_ he thought.

"See you in school tomorrow, okay Sayora?"

"Yeah," she replied as she opened the door and went in.

After the door closed, Sawaki started to walk back to his own house, letting out a long and tired sigh. _Maybe I should've waited a bit longer before I brought up all that stuff about Asaru…_ he thought. "Ah…" He abruptly stopped. "I forgot to give Sayora her food…" Sawaki remembered as he walked back to Shigure's house. He stopped at the front door and knocked. After a few seconds, the door opened.

"Ah! Mobaro-san!" Tohru greeted in surprise.

"Eh? Honda-chan…" Sawaki replied with a confused look "Um… I forgot to give this to Sayora," he said, holding up the bag of food.

"Oh, I'll call Sayora-san down," she offered.

"No, it's fine," he said. "Could you just give this to her?"

Tohru took the bag that Sawaki handed to her.

"Who is it Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked, poking his head from the living room.

"Oh, it's a classmate!" Tohru answered.

"A classmate?" he repeated as he walked to the front door. "Would you like to come in?" Shigure offered.

"No thanks," Sawaki replied. "It's getting late. I should be heading back home."

"Is that so?"

As Shigure, Tohru, and Sawaki briefly talked, Sawaki's eyes widened when saw a familiar doctor in the house.

"Eh? Mobaro-san, are you alright?" Tohru asked when he spaced out.

"Oh! Yeah… well uh… I'll see you in school tomorrow Honda-chan!" he said with a smile as he turned around and left, Shigure and Tohru going back into the house.

After Sawaki left Shigure's front yard, he stopped and turned around. He wanted to talk to that doctor…

-----In the House-----

Sayora walked downstairs after taking a quick shower.

"Ah, Sayora-san!" Tohru said.

"What?" she asked.

"Mobaro-san came by and said he forgot to give you this," she replied, handing the bag to Sayora.

"Oh, thanks."

Sayora looked in the bag, surprised to find not only her two pork buns, but also the cake that he had bought for Kimi. There was a folded piece of paper on the box addressed to her. She grabbed the paper and read what was written inside.

_A 'feel better' gift for Sayora. Cheer up, kay??_

Sayora refolded the note and but it back into the bag. _Sawaki… always so stupid… _she thought as she smiled to herself.

"Oh, are you leaving already Hatori-san?" she could hear Tohru ask.

"I have to," he replied. "Otherwise, Akito will complain."

Hatori got up and started to leave the living room only to run into Sayora who was on her way upstairs.

"Oops, sorry," she apologized, walking by him.

"Sayora, wait," he said, grabbing her arm. "You don't look good. Get lots of rest or you're going to get even paler."

"Yeah, I got it," she mumbled, pulling her arm free as she continued on her way.

"Sayora-san…" Tohru said to herself worriedly.

Hatori and Shigure quietly watched her leave.

"Well, you should hurry Haa-san," Shigure said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "It's never a good thing when Akito gets upset."

"Yeah," Hatori agreed, opening the door and walking out of the house.

"Bye Hatori-san!" Tohru said.

Hatori walked out of Shigure's front yard and to his car. As he inserted the key to open the door, someone stepped out of the shadows from behind him.

"Hatori-san…"

He turned around to see who it was.

"You…" he remembered.

"Please…" Sawaki said. "Let me have just a moment of your time… I want to ask you something…"

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 22- "Big Brother Haru"

Long ago, Sayora looked up to Haru as an older brother who was always there to protect her and pull her to her feet when she didn't have to strength to get up herself. Will Haru be able to help her as she turns to him once again for his advice and support? And just what is it that Sawaki wants to ask Hatori?


	22. Big Brother Haru

**dna**- wow... my chapters are getting longer and longer arent they?? well, this chap turned out to be a lot longer than i thot it wouldve been, but i dont think anyone really minds, do they? anyways enjoy!

oh and **tears.of.dimonds** i realize that its spelled sohma the american way but i like the jap spelling better so i spell it with a 'u' instead. i hope it doesnt bother u too much... thanks a lot tho!

**Hopeless Chapter 22- "Big Brother Haru"**

Sayora looked at the time on her cell phone again. It was already 2:15…

_-----Last Night-----_

"_Sayora-san!" Tohru called. _

"_What is it?" Sayora asked when she got downstairs. _

"_Mobaro-san wants to speak to you," she replied, handing the phone to her. _

_**Sawaki?**__ Sayora asked herself, taking the phone from Tohru. "Hello?"_

"_Hey Sayora! Are you free tomorrow?" Sawaki asked. _

"_Yeah," she replied. _

"_Great!" he said happily. "Meet me at that park by the school tomorrow at 1:30 sharp, okay?" _

"_Huh? What for?" _

"_Don't be late!"_

"_Ah! Sawaki!"_

_Sayora heard a click. Sawaki had already hung up…_

Sayora sighed and leaned against the tree behind her. Her legs were getting tired. Suddenly, she heard someone yelling her name.

"Heeey!!" Sawaki yelled as he ran to her.

"You're forty-five minutes late dammit!!" she scolded. "And you were the one who told me 1:30 sharp! Geez…"

"Sorry," he apologized sympathetically with a nervous laugh.

"So what did you want?" Sayora asked.

"Getting right down to business eh?" he joked as he held out a small box to Sayora. "I was cleaning out my house yesterday and I found something of yours."

Sayora took the box.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Go ahead and open it!" he replied with a smile.

Sayora lifted the lid off of the box, her eyes widening in surprise. She took a quick look at the rest of the contents in the box.

"Sawaki!" she exclaimed. "These are all photos of Kyo when he was a kid!"

"Yeah, I—"

"These aren't even mine!" Sayora interrupted.

"Actually, Asaru was going to tease you and give them to you as your birthday present, so _technically_ speaking… they're yours," he said.

"Why would I want something like this?" Sayora asked frowning.

"Huh?" Sawaki asked in confusion. "Well, since you liked him and all, I thought that you would've wanted them…"

"Sawaki, get it through that thick head of yours," she replied. "I hate that guy!"

"_Because you don't have a choice?_" he asked, taking Sayora by surprise. "You never _do_ change, do you? You've been saying that for as long as I can remember!"

"Then you'd know I don't want these!" she said stubbornly, handing the box back to him.

"When are you gonna stop lying to yourself?" Sawaki asked with a frown. "If you love the guy, then just admit it!"

"I said I don't like him!" Sayora shouted, starting to get irritated.

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't!"

"You've already confessed to me so it's no use! **You love him!!**"

"Ah…"

"_So you hate him? That guy…" Sawaki asked. _

"_That's right! Because I don't have a choice! He's annoying and stupid and he's ugly inside and out! A guy like him pisses me off! I can't help but hate him so much!" Sayora replied with a frown. "But you know…" she said, her face softening into a sad and sincere expression. "Truthfully, I like him. I love him so much that it's killing me… but I'm not allowed to go that far because his life is his own. I have no right to jump in and interfere. I have no right to burden him with something so selfish… so that's why I won't."_

_Sawaki was surprised by Sayora's words. He looked away. "I don't understand…"_

_Sayora smiled and started tugging on pieces of the grass. "It's okay. Besides, I'm not sure if I love him out of pity… not for him, but for myself. If I love him simply because I feel lonely or sorry for myself, then I don't want it. That kind of love would kill me. And I'm sure that it'd kill him even more. If the love I have for him will burden him, then I might as well forget about it… I might as well forget that I ever fell in love, or even better… I might as well forget that I ever met him…"_

"_I __**still**__ don't understand…"_

"You've already told me your feelings for him… you can hide from him but you can't hide from me. You've already told me what's in your heart… it's not use hiding it anymore."

"Sawaki, that was a long time ago!" Sayora protested. "People change. **Feelings** change! What I felt for Kyo was just a stupid child's crush. My feelings for him have already changed."

"**Liar!! **_My_ feelings for Asaru haven't changed yet! _People_ change! There's no doubt about that! But **feelings** can't change that easily!! What you felt for him wasn't _just_ a child's crush!! It was so much more than that!"

"Sawaki…" Sayora said, surprised at what he was saying to her.

"Why can't you just admit your feelings?"

_-----Last Night-----_

"_Please…" Sawaki said. "Let me have just a moment of your time… I want to ask you something…"_

"_You…"_ _Hatori said, recognizing who this boy was. _

"_Hatori-san… why didn't you erase my memories that day?" Sawaki asked. "Why didn't you end everything then and there?" _

"_Did you really want to forget?" Hatori asked. "Did you really want to forget about everything? About __**Asaru**__?"_

_Sawaki looked away in embarrassment. "I wanted to…"_

"_What about now? Do you __**still **__want to forget?" _

"_Honestly… I don't know…"_

_Hatori stared at him._

"_Everything's all jumbled up in my mind… I'm still confused about what I should do… and I don't know what I want… I don't know__** anything**__ anymore…"_

_Hatori turned back around to his car. _

"_Ah! Wait!" Sawaki yelled. "You didn't even answer me! Why didn't you—"_

"_**Stop whining!"**__ he yelled in a loud, firm voice, startling Sawaki. Hatori looked surprised at himself for yelling at the boy. He opened his car door. "I didn't erase your memories because of my own selfishness," he said, Sawaki staring at him in confusion. "I wanted you to save that girl…"_

"I wanted… to save you too…" Sawaki mumbled sadly, looking down.

"Huh…?" Sayora asked.

"I wanted to save you too!" he yelled, suddenly bowing to Sayora, shocking her. "Please!"

"Sawaki!"

"Just give him another chance! And give **yourself** another chance!"

"Sawaki…"

"Please… if you can't do it for him or for yourself… then please… do it for me… do it for the guy who's suffering from watching you live like this!"

Sayora stared at Sawaki's trembling body.

"I don't care if you call me selfish! I can't stand seeing you like this anymore!! I can't… stand it anymore… please… I'm begging you Sayora… **please!"**

"Stop it Sawaki," she pleaded. "That's enough… and stop bowing to me."

"I won't!" he yelled, once again surprising Sayora. "I will… get on my knees if I have to… promise me… just one more chance!"

"Sawaki…"

"Everything will work out!"

"Stop it…"

"I promise!"

"Please, stop!"

"I swear on my life that everything will work out!!"

"That's enough!!"

"So just one more chance!!"

"**I can't!!"** Sayora screamed, crying. "I'm sorry… I'm tired already! I don't have the strength anymore!"

There was silence for the next few moments.

"Sayora…" Sawaki said, his voice barely above a whisper.

More tears slid down Sayora's face as she stared at Sawaki who was still bowing to her.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry Sawaki!!" she apologized as she ran away.

Sawaki's whole body was trembling in sadness as his tears fell to the ground. After Sayora was out of sight, Kimi stepped out of hiding as Sawaki slowly straightened himself and stood up tall again.

"I… I couldn't do it…" he said in a trembling voice, tears sliding down his face. "I couldn't save her Kimi-chan…"

"Don't cry Sawa-chan," she replied with a smile, trying to cheer him up as she hugged him comfortingly. "Sawa-chan did his best, so it's okay."

"Kimi-chan…" Sawaki said, hugging her back, his head resting heavily on hers. _I lied to you Sayora…_

"_**I don't understand…"**_

"_**It's okay."**_

"_**I **__**still**__** don't understand…"**_

_I understood… but I was too scared to admit it…I was too scared to find out if my feelings for Asaru was just pity. Under her happy expression, there was always a sadness there… and a loneliness that I couldn't seem to comprehend… both in Asaru… __**and**__ in you Sayora…_

"Kimi-chan!" he said, hugging her tighter and tighter.

_Asaru… I'm really the worst… aren't I…? _he thought, more and more tears slipping out of his eyes. _I just can't seem to stop letting people down… I just can't seem to… save the people I love!_

Kimi closed her eyes and smiled once again. "Sawa-chan isn't alone…" she whispered in his ear. "Kimi will be here for you… so it'll be okay Sawa-chan. Sawa-chan spoke from your heart, right? YonYon will understand, and she'll think about what you told her… you haven't let her down."

_Kimi-chan…_

-----Meanwhile-----

Kazuma and Kyo were walking around, trying to find a place to eat since they hadn't eaten out together in a while. As they were talking, Kyo saw someone familiar running on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. He stopped and turned around to look at who it was.

It was Sayora…

"Kyo?" Kazuma asked as he, too, stopped and turned around. He followed Kyo's gaze to Sayora who turned the corner and ran out of sight. "Kyo," he called again.

"Ah, sorry…" he replied. "I was distracted." Kyo started to walk down the sidewalk again. "So where should we eat? I'm starving already."

"Kyo," Kazuma said as Kyo turned to face him. "Why don't you go after her?"

"What?!" he asked, shocked at his teacher's question. "Why _should_ I?!"

"She looked like she was troubled…" Kazuma said quietly, looking at the orange-haired boy sadly.

"Well it's got nothing to do with me!" Kyo replied stubbornly.

"Are you still angry at Sayora for abandoning you that day?"

"It's not li—!" He cut himself off when he saw the pained look on his teacher's face.

"Sayora had her reasons for rejecting you," Kazuma said.

"_Reasons_?" Kyo asked. "Like what?"

"It is not my place to tell you that…" he replied. "But I think you should at least know that she is trying her best… she's confused too…"

-----Meanwhile-----

Shigure, Tohru, and Yuki looked up when the door to Shigure's house slammed open.

"Oh, welcome home Sayor—eh?" Tohru became alarmed when Sayora ran right by the living room without a word. "Sayora-san!"

"Sayora-chan?" Shigure asked, wondering what was wrong as he watched her run by.

"Sayora!" Yuki called as she ran up the stairs.

The three in the living room heard the door to her room slam shut as they looked at each other, wondering what could've happened in the short while that she was gone.

Sayora leaned against the door and slid to the ground. She sat there crying to herself, the box of photos still in her hand.

"_Just give him one more chance!" _

_I'm scared…_

"_And give __**yourself**__ one more chance!"_

_I'm scared…_

"_So just one more chance!!" _

_I'm scared of what can happen with that one chance… even if I wanted to… what if everything crumbles down? What if everything goes wrong?_

"_I swear on my life that everything will work out!!" _

_How can he say something like that so confidently…? This curse that I have… this curse that I can't make go away… what can I do as long as I'm cursed as the wolf of the zodiac, and Kyo as the cat? It'll never work out. Something between us can never happen… it's impossible…_

"Sayora-chan?" Shigure called as he knocked on the door.

Sayora cleared her throat and tried to sound as normal as possible. "What?"

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Um… now's not a good time…" she replied as she stood up.

"I know," Shigure said.

After a few seconds, Sayora wiped her face dry of her tears and put the box of Kyo's photos on her desk. Then she opened the door and let Shigure in, closing it behind him.

"What do you want?" Sayora asked.

"Oh, nothing much," Shigure replied as he walked over to her bed and picked up the teddy bear, looking at it. "Tell me Sayora-chan," he said, continuing to inspect her teddy bear with great interest, "do you still blame the curse for everything?"

The unexpected question caught Sayora off guard.

"What?" she asked.

"You've always used that as your excuse. You've always blamed everything on the curse, but have you ever considered the possibility that it's just you?"

Sayora didn't reply.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that you're just too scared to defy the curse? That you're too scared…" he paused as he turned around and smirked. "…to create your own path to walk on?** To create your own future?**"

Sayora was frozen by Shigure's words. She couldn't tell him that he was wrong because he wasn't. His words were the painful truth that she had been running away from… the painful truth that she didn't want to accept.

"Just something… you should think about…" he said, the smirk still on his face as he put the teddy bear back on Sayora's bed and walked back to the door.

_That Shigure…_ she thought, her clenched fists trembling. _Why did he have to crush me with such heavy words…? Why did he have to… say that…?_

Sayora squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling to the floor.

_Does he intend to knock me down so hard… so that I can never get back up again?_

"Eh? Sayora-san?" Tohru asked worriedly, hearing sobbing noises coming from Sayora's room as she looked in to see what was wrong. She gasped in shock to see tears flooding down Sayora's painful face. "Sayora-san!!"

_Why would you say those things to me when you know these two legs can barely keep me standing… let alone move me forward… Shigure!!_

Sayora let herself drop to the floor.

"Sayora-san! What happened?!" Tohru asked with great concern as she quickly went to Sayora's side.

"Honda-san! What's wrong?!" Yuki asked, alarmed with all the shouting as he ran to Sayora's room, shocked speechless at the sight of the broken down Sayora. "Sayora…"

As Shigure walked by the stairs, he stopped and looked up, smirking at the commotion upstairs.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Shigure looked up from the book he was reading when he saw Yuki coming into the living room. Tohru had come downstairs a while ago to make some hot soup for Sayora to drink so that she could relax.

"So, Sayora-chan has finally calmed down I see," Shigure said with a smile.

Yuki narrowed his eyes and glared at his older cousin.

"You did that to her, didn't you?" he asked in an accusing way.

"What if I did?" Shigure asked, unconcerned by Yuki.

"You know that she's been going through a lot!" Yuki started to yell, angered by Shigure's apathetic attitude. "Did you have to make her cry like that?!"

"Sayora-chan can't move forward because the wall blocking her path is high. Sometimes, people need help to climb over those high walls," he replied. "I just gave Sayora-chan a push, but whether that push will help her move forward, or cause her to stumble and fall will depend on how strong her legs are. It'll be interesting to watch, don't you think?"

"This isn't funny!!" Yuki yelled, grabbing Shigure's yukata angrily and threateningly. "Have you ever thought about what might happen if that push of yours makes her fall?!"

"Then she will learn to get up," Shigure replied calmly. "She will learn to get up, stronger and stronger each time she falls. She will learn to continue moving forward. That is her job as well as everyone else's right now. In order to become strong enough to overcome those high walls standing in your way, you all must learn how to fall, to get up, and to press on. It's too soon for any of you to give up on anything."

Yuki's grip on Shigure's yukata loosened, eyes widened in surprised by the unexpected reply.

"Yuki-kun! Shigure-san!"

"Ah…" Yuki looked over to Tohru who had a scared expression on her face. Suddenly, he realized that in the position that he and Shigure were in, it looked like he was ready to beat Shigure up. "Oh… uh…" Yuki let go of his cousin.

"Don't worry Tohru-kun," Shigure assured with a smile. "Yuki-kun and I were just talking. Isn't that right, Yuki-kun?"

"Yeah, we were just… talking…" Yuki trailed off. "Please don't worry Honda-san," he said with a smile though Shigure's words were still heavily lingering in his head.

-----Next Day-----

"Hey Haru! Want to go watch a movie today?" Momiji asked, enthusiastic as always as he and Haru started leaving school.

"Sure," Haru replied.

"Yay!" Momiji exclaimed happily. "Let's invite Shitari! And Seki, and Nohoru, and Tatsume! Oh! And Fuu-chan too! And we can't forget—"

"Haru-nii…" someone called from behind.

Surprised at being called that, he and Momiji turned around to see Sayora standing there.

"Sayora…" Haru said.

"Ha! I haven't heard that in a long time!" Momiji replied as he got ready to leave. "I'm going to ditch you Haru!"

"Yeah, okay," he replied as he looked at Sayora.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Haru and Sayora were silently standing at the top of a hill, looking down at the town below them.

"What's wrong?" Haru asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked, forcing a smile on. "Nothing's wrong."

"You come up to me and call me _'Haru-nii.'_ There's something wrong."

Sayora let out a small laugh under her breath. "I guess…" she replied quietly as she looked down, her smile fading. "What should I do, Haru-nii? I don't know what to do anymore… I'm so tired… the curse is…" Sayora's clenched fists were shaking.

Haru immediately understood what everything was about.

"It's still holding you back from getting what you want?" he asked.

"I don't know what I want anymore…" she replied tiredly.

"You don't know what you want? Or are you _scared_ of what you want?" Haru looked at Sayora who was still staring at the ground. "Look at me," he said, lifting her face up so that their eyes met. "Which is it?"

Sayora's eyes started to water up as she answered him. "Scared… I'm scared… it's so frustrating! I hate the way things are right now! I wish we could go back to the way we used to be!"

"Then why don't you tell him that?" Haru asked, staring at the town. "No one said that can't happen, right?"

"Haru, I'm the one who started all of this! I'm the one who put this distance between the two of us!" Sayora replied. "I can't just go up to him and say _'let's put this all behind us!'_"

"Why _not_?" he asked, frowning at her. "You've realized that you've made a mistake. No one's perfect. Kyo will understand that. He's not a kid."

"But it's not fair to him!"

"But is it fair to _you_?" Haru asked as Sayora went quiet. "The only thing unfair to Kyo is that you're deciding everything on your own when he has the right to decide by himself."

Sayora remained quiet.

"Is it fair for you to decide you don't deserve a second chance? Or that you don't _have_ one? Is it fair to punish yourself and make yourself suffer, thinking that it'll protect him?"

"What if…" she said quietly, looking down again. "What if I think that it _is_…?"

Haru frowned and roughly grabbed Sayora's wrist, dragging her down the hill.

"Ow! Haru! What're you doing?!" she demanded.

"You're going to see Kyo!"

"What?!" she asked. "No! I don't want to!"

Haru ignored Sayora's defiant attitude as he dragged her to Kazuma's dojo.

"Haru! Stop it!!" Sayora yelled as they entered through the door and walked down the hall.

"Kyo!" Haru called.

"Haru, no!" she continued to object.

"Kyo!!" he called again.

"What the hell?" Kyo asked himself as he walked down the hall. As soon as he saw Haru, he stopped and began to glare at Sayora.

Haru pulled Sayora in front of him and let go of her wrist.

"What's going o—" Kazuma immediately silenced himself when he saw who were in the hall, stepping back behind the corner to hide himself. Kagura and Rin poked their heads out of the living room, wondering what was going on.

There was a long period of silence.

"What?" Kyo asked in an unfriendly tone.

"Sayora has something she wants to say to you," Haru replied.

After a few seconds, Sayora opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say, and her voice didn't seem to be working. Sayora's mouth closed again as she turned around and ran by Haru, but Haru was too quick. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back next to him.

"Sayora… didn't you say you had something to say to Kyo?" Haru asked, his voice suggesting that he wasn't going to let her go.

"I…" Sayora trailed off, not turning around to face the orange-haired boy. "…there's nothing to say," she said as she squeezed her eyes shut. "I have nothing to say… to that person…"

"Well good!" Kyo snapped. "I don't have time to waste listening to words coming from _your_ mouth anyway!" he said harshly as he turned around.

Haru felt Sayora's arm twitch in his hand.

"Kyo, you idiot!!" Sayora shouted.

Haru intentionally loosened his grip and allowed Sayora to wrench her arm free from him. He watched her run out of the dojo. Then he turned to look at Kyo who could feel his younger cousin staring at him.

"What?!" Kyo asked in an aggravated voice, finally turning back around.

"Kyo…" Haru trailed off when he saw two girls walk into the hallway. He shifted his gaze to Rin who was standing by Kagura, throwing him a malicious glare. After a while, Kyo finally noticed that Haru was staring past him and turned around, surprised to see two other people standing there though he didn't show it. "Nothing…" Haru finished, still staring at Rin. A couple seconds later, he turned around and left to find Sayora.

The dojo was quiet. Nothing could be heard except for the wind chime near the living room dangling against each other. Kyo walked by the two girls, acting as if they weren't even there. Kagura reached out and grabbed Kyo hand.

"Kyo-kun—"

She was cut off when Kyo snatched his hand right back and continued down the hall. Kagura was frozen for a second, shocked by Kyo's actions.

"Kyo-kun! Listen to me!!" she shouted as she desperately grabbed the back of his shirt.

"What?" Kyo asked as he glared down at her, shocking her once more.

"Sayora-chan loves you," Kagura said. "She really does!"

"So what?" he asked coldly.

Kagura let go of him as her eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't believe she was hearing those words from him. It was too sad. For Sayora, who had secretly loved Kyo; for everything to go down the drain because of one tiny incident; for them to grow so far apart in so short a time was just too painful for her.

Tears started to leak out of Kagura's eyes. "This isn't the Kyo-kun that I know…" she said quietly. "The Kyo-kun that I know… has always been a very nice person! I don't know the Kyo-kun standing before me!!" she shouted as she ran out of the dojo, leaving just him and Rin standing in the hall.

Kyo looked unconcerned and untouched by Kagura's words as he turned to look at Rin. "Do _you _have something to say to me too?" he asked, his tone of voice suggesting that she should just hurry and get it over with.

"You're an asshole," she simply replied as she went back into the living room and sat down.

"Kyo!" Kazuma called as he walked down the hall. "Shigure-kun just called and said there was something he wanted to show you."

"Huh?" Kyo wondered what Shigure could've possibly wanted to show _him_.

-----Haru-----

It didn't take Haru long to find Sayora who had gone back to the hill they were at before.

"Sayora," he called as he walked up next to her.

"Why did you drag me to that place to see that person?!" Sayora demanded angrily as she spun to face him.

"He's not _'that person.'_"

"Why did you make me go see him?" she demanded again in a weak voice.

"You came to me because you wanted me to help you," Haru replied in a stern voice. "I did what I thought was best for you, but you were absolutely right. This is completely unfair to Kyo. You wanted to tell him that you've realized you made a mistake, but instead, **you just walked away!**"

Sayora was taken back by his harsh words.

"I can't blame Kyo for being angry at you, especially after what I just saw."

She remained quiet and didn't reply. Haru's look softened as he spoke again with a much gentler voice.

"Sayora, for whatever reason, you've become weak… it's not like you," he said.

"So what?" Sayora asked bitterly. "Do I always have to be strong? People get tired, Haru."

"Let me finish," he replied calmly. "It's all right to be weak sometimes. What's '_not like you'_ is that you're not trying to become any stronger. You keep running away. That Sayora is not the same person I knew since I was little, and I have no idea where she came from. The Sayora that I know is kind and caring, and a very gentle person… but she's also very strong. If that Sayora can't stand on her own right now, that's fine. She has my shoulder to lean on…"

A gentle wind blew.

"Then…" Sayora looked up at him. "What should I do? What should I do… Haru-nii?"

"Try."

-----Kazuma's Dojo-----

Kyo had left a little while ago. Rin looked up at her teacher as he entered the living room.

"I'm going out for a bit, okay?" Kazuma said as he turned and started to leave.

"Wait," Rin said as her teacher stopped and faced her. "I never heard the phone ring. Shigure-nii never called, did he?"

"No, he did," Kazuma replied. "Kunimitsu said that he was going to make a call but picked up the phone right as Shigure-kun's call came in."

"What did Shigure-nii say?" Rin asked suspiciously. "What does he want to show him?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully as he turned around again. "I'm going to buy some dinner. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Rin watched Kazuma leave. As he walked to the restaurant, he thought back his phone conversation with Shigure.

"_Kazuma-dono, is Kyo-kun there right now?" Shigure asked. _

"_Yes, but I'm afraid now is not a good time to speak with him though," he replied, wondering how things were turning out in his hallway._

"_Oh? I take it Kyo-kun and Sayora-chan must be arguing right now."_

_There was a brief moment of silence where Kazuma recovered from his slight surprise. "Yes, they are."_

"_Well, when you get the chance, will you please tell Kyo-kun to come by my house? There's something I have to show him."_

"_Something you have to show him?" Kazuma repeated. _

"_Yes," he replied. "Something that may provide a… _positive_ outcome."_

Kazuma sighed and hoped that whatever it was Shigure had planned, it would help things to turn out for the best.

-----Kyo-----

Kyo stood in front of Shigure's house, still wondering what Shigure could've possibly wanted to show him.

_Well… knowing him, it's probably something stupid…_ Kyo thought as he entered the house.

Upon hearing the door open and close, Tohru quickly ran out of the kitchen. "Sayora-san, welcome ba—eh?!" Tohru was staring at the person in front of her with shock.

"Sayora, where've you—" Yuki also stopped and stared in surprise when he saw who it was.

"K-Kyo-kun!!" Tohru exclaimed with tears in her eyes. "Kyo-kun, you're home!"

"What're you doing here?" Yuki asked.

"Shigure called me over," Kyo replied, not looking at Tohru. He knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able leave the house again. "That's all…" No matter how hard he tried, he never _could_ seem to ignore Tohru.

"O…Oh…" Tohru replied, trying her best to sound normal.

"Is that you, Kyo-kun?" Shigure yelled from upstairs.

Without another word to Yuki and Tohru, Kyo walked upstairs to find Shigure.

"What did you want to show me?" Kyo asked once he got to the top. Shigure was nowhere in sight.

"I'm in Sayora-chan's room," Shigure said.

Kyo twitched a bit as he hesitantly walked to her room and stopped at the entrance.

"Come in," Shigure invited. He seemed to be looking through the contents of a small box on Sayora's desk.

Kyo hesitantly stepped into the room.

"What did you want to show me?" he asked suspiciously.

"Were you aware that yesterday afternoon, Sayora-chan went to meet with a friend of hers, Sawaki-kun I believe? The same person who walked her home the night before?"

Kyo began to get irritated. "No, I wasn't. And I don't care either," he replied, still looking at Shigure suspiciously.

"Then perhaps you also aren't aware of the fact that, despite what she says, Sayora-chan thinks everything is her fault," he retorted calmly. "Or perhaps you _are_ aware, but couldn't care less."

Kyo growled in irritation. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?!" he demanded.

"Yesterday afternoon, Sayora-chan came back looking upset," Shigure continued, ignoring what Kyo said as he put the contents back into the box. "No doubt, she and her friend probably got into an argument."

"What's your point?" Kyo asked, not understanding what his older cousin was trying to say to him.

"Sayora-chan came back holding this box," Shigure said as he turned around for the first time and walked to Kyo, holding the box in his hand.

"If what you wanted to show me was in that box, then I don't want to see it," Kyo said in disgust.

"Whatever is in this box will show you Sayora-chan's true feelings," Shigure replied, his eyes narrowing and his mouth curving into a smile. "Regardless of what you say, you won't be able to resist opening it." As he walked by Kyo, he pushed the box against Kyo. Absentmindedly, he slowly took the box into his hands. "I doubt that Sayora-chan was unaware of what was inside, so the fact that she didn't throw it away must've meant _something_. What you decide to do after you open that box… is your decision to make… so decide well Kyo-kun." Shigure stopped to say one last thing before descending down the stairs. "Remember Kyo-kun, with rejection **always **comes acceptance."

Kyo was left alone in Sayora's room. For the next few moments, he seemed to be unable to move. Shigure seemed to have such an effective way with words. Kyo looked down at the box in his hands as Shigure's words echoed in his mind.

"_Whatever is in this box will show you Sayora-chan's true feelings. Regardless of what you say, you won't be able to resist opening it." _

The more he thought about what Shigure said and the more he stared at the box in his hands, the more his curiosity grew about what was inside it. Without actually realizing what he was doing, he slowly and hesitantly grabbed the lid and lifted it off of the box. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat as he stared at the photo of his younger self. When he finally overcame his shock, he lifted up the first photo to look at the second, then the third. They were all photos of him! The whole box was filled with photos of just him when he was a child!

All of a sudden, Kyo remembered Haru and Sayora's trip to the dojo.

"_Sayora has something she wants to say to you."_

He suddenly realized that what she wanted to say was probably something really important. _What did… what did she want to say?_ Kyo asked himself, angry at himself for not paying attention to her earlier. _Why didn't I listen?!_

Kyo dropped the box on her desk, ran out of the room, and race downstairs and straight for the door.

"Ah! Kyo-kun!" Tohru called worriedly as Yuki stood behind her.

He stopped halfway out the door and turned to look at her with an assuring smile. "I'll be back for dinner," he said.

A happy smile grew on Tohru's face. "Yes!" she replied.

Not wasting another second, Kyo raced out of the house to find Sayora. Tohru went back into the kitchen, happily talking to herself about what kinds of food she should make for tonight's dinner. Yuki turned away with a small smile.

"Stupid cat," he muttered to himself as he entered the living room to find Shigure smiling while reading the newspaper. "So… what did you say to him?" Yuki asked.

"I wonder," Shigure answered mysteriously as he turned his attention back to the newspaper in his hands.

-----Kyo-----

Kyo was standing in front of the school. He had looked everywhere for Sayora but couldn't find her at all.

"Eh? Is that Kyon-kun?" he heard a girl ask as he turned around.

"Ah! That _is_ him!" another girl said.

Kyo blankly stared at the two girls. He recognized them from his class.

"What're you doing here Kyon-kun?" the first girl asked. "You're not in a club, are you?"

"No," he replied. "I'm looking for someone…"

"Looking for someone?" the other girl repeated. "Who?"

"A girl with silver hair," Kyo said. "Have you seen her?"

The two girls looked at each other.

"You mean Sayora-san?" one of them asked.

"I saw her earlier," the other said, trying to recall what happened previously that day. "She was with that really cute first year, the one with the black and white hair… I think it was Hatsuharu-kun or something like that. I'm not sure but I think I saw them heading towards the hill past the school…"

Without another word to the two girls, Kyo took off running.

"Ah! Kyo-kun! Wait!" she yelled after him. "That was right after school though!"

But Kyo didn't pay attention to what she was saying. He needed to see Sayora. He needed to find out how she really felt.

_How did it come to this?_ Kyo asked himself as he neared the hill. _How did things get this bad? My transformation was the start of it all, but what __**led**__ it to this? Was it when she rejected me and I gave up on her? Or was it when I got angry at Sawaki and started hating her for going out with him?_

As Kyo ran up the hill, he suddenly slowed to a stop. He could see Haru and Sayora standing together.

_No…_ he thought. _My transformation… wasn't what started all of this… it was __**before**__ that._ Kyo slowly walked to the top of the hill and stood there staring at the couple. _It was before she even came to live with us._ Haru looked at him expectantly while Sayora looked up a bit surprised. _It was me. __**I **__was the start of it all… because I've always ignored her. Ever since we were little, I've always ignored her…_

"Well, I'm leaving Sayora," Haru said to her.

"Ah! Haru…" Sayora began to protest, but was cut off when Haru put his hand on her shoulder.

"Sayora, just do your best," he said with a small comforting smile.

"But—"

"Trust me," he said, looking into her eyes. "Or am I no longer the older brother you can rely on?"

"Of course you are!" she quickly replied.

"Then believe in me." Haru patted her head and started to leave in Kyo's direction. "Don't go messing this up, stupid cat," he said to Kyo quietly as he walked by.

Haru walked down the hill until he was out of sight, but he didn't leave. He walked around to the side and back up a bit so that he was within hearing range and took a seat on the ground.

There was a long period of silence before either of them started talking.

"When you came to the dojo today, you said you had something to say to me," Kyo began, staring at her. "What was it?"

Sayora remained silent. Kyo patiently stood there and waited for her, but after a few more minutes, Sayora looked away. He sighed and turned around.

_Ah!_ Sayora thought desperately, quickly looking up to see Kyo leaving. _Wait! Don't leave yet!_ Kyo was getting further and further away from her. _No… _she thought again. _Maybe… maybe it's alright this way… _

"_Give yourself another chance! Please… if you can't do it for him or for yourself… then please… do it for the guy who's suffering from watching you live like this!" _

_What am I saying?_ Sayora asked herself. _Of course it's not alright._

"_You wanted to tell him that you've realized you made a mistake, but instead, __**you just walked away!**__"_

_I'm not okay with everything ending this way!_

Kyo was about to start down the hill, feeling extremely disappointed when all of a sudden, someone grabbed his hand and stopped him. He turned around to look at Sayora in surprise. He hadn't expected her to chase after him.

"Don't go," Sayora said, looking at Kyo with pleading eyes. "Please don't go yet…"

Kyo seemed to have lost his voice to shock and surprise. Sayora was _actually_ asking him to stay.

"I was wrong… when I wanted to tell you I made a mistake, I walked away!"

All he could do was stare and listen.

"I don't like the way things are between us right now. I want us to go back to the way we were. I made a stupid mistake. I should've went after you that day, but I didn't. And instead of apologizing, I ignored you. I'm really sorry!"

After a moment, Kyo finally found his voice again. "I don't forgive you," he said as Sayora's eyes widened in shock. "It's true that you ignored me, but I ignored you too. You walked away, but so did I. There's nothing to forgive you for. We were both in the wrong. Whatever the reason was, we were both being stubborn…"

"No, it was my fault," Sayora said. "I rejected you and ran away because I—"

"Stop blaming yourself," Kyo interrupted, looking away. "You had your reasons for not coming after me. I was selfish and only thought about myself and what _I_ wanted. I didn't take your feelings into consideration. And also…" he trailed off for a second. "It hurts to be rejected… yet knowing that, I rejected you anyway. If you were wrong, then so was I. The fault isn't yours alone…" Kyo looked at Sayora. "I want us to go back to the way we were too… it's lonely when you're not there…"

Sayora stared into Kyo's eyes longingly.

_**That's right… it's lonely when that special someone isn't there anymore… so incredibly lonely…**_

Haru looked up at the darkening sky and smiled to himself…

_-----Nine Years Ago-----_

"_Sayora, this is Hatsuharu," Kazuma introduced._

"_Nice to meet you," Haru said to her. _

"_Um… yeah," she replied hesitantly._

"_I have something to take care of, so why don't you two go play?" Kazuma suggested. _

"_But Oji-san…" Sayora objected, trailing off nervously. _

_He smiled and patted her on the head. "Go on. Don't be shy," he said comfortingly. "He's a nice boy." Kazuma gave her a light encouraging push toward Haru and left. Having no other choice, Sayora walked with Haru. _

"_I finally get to meet you," he suddenly said. _

_Sayora gave Haru a confused look. "What do you mean?" she asked. _

"_I've always seen you around, so I've wanted to meet you for a while now."_

"_Why?" she wondered, absentmindedly following the boy in front of her. _

"_Dunno," he replied. "You looked like an interesting person."_

"_Oh…"_

"_And a _lonely_ person."_

_At this statement, Sayora looked at Haru. _

"_Lonely?" she repeated quietly. _

"_You're not lonely?" he asked as he stopped and turned to look at her questioningly. "I always see you by yourself, so I thought that maybe you wanted someone to hang out with. Well… unless you like being alone. Do you like being alone?" _

"_What if I do?" she asked, almost as if testing him to see what he'd say._

"_That's too bad," he replied. "Guess I'll have to show you how fun it is when you have other people to be with."_

_Sayora was apparently surprised by his response. _

"_So… do I need to show you?" Haru asked. _

_Sayora laughed. "You're funny," she said with a smile. "Of course I don't like being alone."_

"_But you're __**lonely**__… right?" he asked, surprising the silver-haired girl once again. "Being alone and feeling lonely are two completely different things." Haru held out his hand to her. Sayora stared at it as if she'd never seen such a thing before. Then she looked up at him. Slowly and hesitantly, she reached her hand out to Haru's. _

I can trust him…_ she thought. _I can trust this person. He will… definitely…

_The moment their hands touched, Haru immediately closed his hand around hers tightly, causing Sayora to flinch in pain. _

"_Ow!" she cried. "That hurts! You're holding on too tight!" _

"_I know," he replied as he started walking again, dragging Sayora along. "You're going to have to get used to it because I'm not gonna let go anytime soon."_

_Sayora stared at him in confusion. Sure, she thought Haru said some pretty weird things, but for some reason, it made her feel more secure._

"—_an…"_

"_Huh?" Haru asked, turning around to face her. "What did you say?" _

"_Onii-chan…" she repeated shyly, blushing in embarrassment. _

"_No," he replied. "Just Haru. You're older than me."_

"_Onii-chan… I want to call you… Onii-chan…" _

_Haru looked at Sayora in surprise. It was an awkward request, but he didn't mind…_

_-----Few Months Later-----_

_Sayora walked into Kazuma's living room. _

"_Oji-san," she called._

"_Yes, what is it?" Kazuma asked. _

"_Have you seen Onii-chan?" _

"_Hatsuharu? He went to the festival in town with a few people," he replied. _

"_The festival?" Sayora asked, seeming surprised. "But…"_

"_What is it?"_

He said he was gonna take me…_ she thought to herself, becoming depressed. "Nothing," she said, walking out of the living room. Sayora suddenly bumped into someone and fell to the ground. _

"_Oh, sorry," a familiar voice apologized as a hand extended down toward her to help her up. _

"_Onii-chan!" Sayora exclaimed, taking his hand, noticing that there were a couple people behind him. One was a happy blonde boy (Momiji) and the other was a young girl with brown, shoulder length hair (Kagura). "Oji-san said that you left already…"_

"_I did," Haru replied. "But I forgot to tell you to meet us at the festival so I came back." _

_Sayora smiled happily. "Thanks for coming back," she said. _

"_Idiot," he said with a smile. "Why wouldn't I?" Haru took her hand and turned to the other two. "C'mon! Let's go before it gets crowded."_

_They nodded in agreement and quickly left the dojo._

_-----Four Months Later-----_

"_Haru-nii!!" Sayora yelled. _

"_Huh?" Haru turned around and almost fell backwards when she ran into him and wrapped her arms around him, crying into his shirt. He became alarmed and worried. "Sayora!" he yelled, trying not to panic. "Sayora! What's wrong?!"_

"_My parents!" she cried. _

"_What?!" _

"_Akito… Akito! He said Nii-san… and my parents… they… because of me…!!" _

_Though Sayora's speech was broken up, Haru still understood what she was trying to say. However, even _he_ didn't know how to react to the news. All he could do was hold Sayora and try to comfort her by being there. _

_-----Morning-----_

_Sayora groaned as she slowly sat up, feeling sore from the odd position she was sleeping in. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, noticing that Haru wasn't there. _

"_I can't go to your party today." Haru's voice came from the hall. He seemed to be on the phone. "Sorry… something came up… I'll drop by tomorrow… thanks Momiji… kay… bye." He hung up the phone and headed back to the living room to check on Sayora. "Oh," he said when he saw her. "You're up. How're you feeling?"_

"_Better…" she replied tiredly from crying all night. _

"_Are you hungry?" _

"_Not really…"_

_Haru sat down next to her. "Sayora," he said. "Were you close with your parents?" _

"_Not really…" she replied. "No…" she admitted. "But still… Akito said that they committed suicide because of me." Tears came to her eyes again. "No matter what, it __**hurts**__…"_

"_I can't say I understand how you feel, but don't cry over them," Haru said. "It's not worth it."_

"_How could you say that?" Sayora asked. "They were my parents!"_

"_But they didn't even care about how you'd feel, getting left behind like this!" he argued. "Sorry if you feel it's not my place to say this, but I don't think that's right! I hate parents who—" he cut himself off, realizing that he had gone too far. Regardless of how he felt, he had no right to blurt out such things. Haru forced himself to calm down. "Sorry…" _

"_It's okay," she replied, forcing on a smile. "You're right. Besides, I've still got _you,_ Haru-nii." _I shouldn't burden Haru-nii with this… this is my problem to deal with… _"I won't think about it anymore… okay?" _

_-----Three Years Later-----_

"_Sayora," Haru said as he quietly entered Akito's room._

"_Onii-chan…" she replied as she walked up to him. _

"_Are you sure it's alright for me to be in here like this?" he asked, looking around. "If Akito catches us, _you're_ going to be the one in hot water, you know…"_

"_It's okay," Sayora assured with a small smile. "Akito's out right now. Besides, he said that you could come."_

"_Well, it doesn't really matter either way," Haru replied. "I can't stay long."_

"_Do you… have to be somewhere again?" she asked, her smile disappearing. _

"_Yeah. So, what did you want to talk to me about?" _

"_How come… how come you never come to see me anymore…?"_

"_I'm looking after someone," he replied honestly. "Right now, there's someone who needs me."_

"_More than I do?" _

"_Yeah… more than you do."_

"_Oh… I see…" Sayora said, looking down. "Well, you'd better hurry and go then…"_

"_Okay," he replied, walking out of the room. "I'll come by when I can."_

_When the door shut, Akito stepped out of hiding. He stood behind Sayora, smirking in satisfaction. _

"_See what I mean?" he whispered in her ear. "In the end, even __**he**__ left you. In the end… even the cow isn't stupid enough to befriend the wolf."_

_Sayora blinked, tears dropping to the floor… _

_-----One Year Later-----_

"_Oh, there you are Sayora," Kazuma said when he finally found her. _

"_What is it Shishou?" she asked curiously. _

"_Hatsuharu said that he and some friends are going to see a movie together," he informed her. "He said that you should meet him by his house if you want to go."_

"_Oh, thanks!" she replied. _

_-----Few Minutes Later-----_

"_Haru-nii!" Sayora called as he came out of his house. _

"_Hey," he greeted casually and started on their way to meet the others. _

"_So, who else is going?" Sayora wondered curiously. _

"_Just Rin," he answered. "Momiji said he couldn't make it."_

"_Oh, okay," she replied. _

"_We're going to see the movie at the new mall that just opened up," Haru informed her. _

"_It's the anniversary of your family's death, and you're going to see a movie," someone suddenly said in an eerie voice. _

_Both of them looked up to see Akito in front of them. _

"_Akito…" Sayora said. _

"_You are truly fitting to be the wolf," he said smirking. "A cold monster with no emotions. Perhaps you drove your whole family to suicide on purpose."_

_Sayora frowned, but didn't say anything. _

"_And how they loved you so," Akito continued. "So tell me, monster… what went through your mind when I told you that they were dead? Happiness? Or Relief?"_

"_Shut up."_

_Both Akito and Sayora looked at Haru who started to become angry. _

"_What?" Akito asked, glaring at him. _

"_I said shut up, you freak!!" he yelled. _

_Akito's face began to twist in anger. "You stupid, __**stupid**__ cow!!" he screamed. "Do you have any idea what kind of monster is standing there behind you?! She killed her parents without any remorse!! Don't you understand, you fat and stupid cow?!" _

"_What is there to understand?!" Haru yelled. "It doesn't matter what animal we're cursed with!! We're all cursed! You only care because you want to play your sick mind games!! __**You're **__the one who doesn't understand!!!" _

"_Go ahead and keep saying that!! You know as well as I do that on the inside, you're grateful that the cat and the wolf exist!! You're grateful that you have someone to look down on!! You're rotten, just like the rest of them!!!"_

"_Why you!!" Haru lunged at Akito._

"_Haru-nii! Stop!" Sayora pleaded as she grabbed him from behind, trying to hold him back from attacking the head of the family. _

_Akito laughed. "Even that wolf doesn't deny it!!" he shouted. _

"_Stop it, Haru-nii!! Don't!" Sayora yelled. _

_Haru however, was blinded by his rage and threw her off, once again lunging at Akito. _

"_HARU!!!!" she screamed in desperation._

_He suddenly snapped out of black mode and stopped._ Sayora…_ he thought, turning to look at her. _What am I doing?_ he asked himself. _What am I doing? Making her scream like that…

_Akito laughed once again. "Do you see, stupid cow?" he asked as Haru turned to look at him. "The wolf will not abandon me. She'll __**never**__ let you lay a finger on me!" _

_Haru looked back at Sayora who didn't say anything. _

"_There you are… Akito…"_

_Both Haru and Sayora looked at the man who had just arrived. It was Kureno. He glanced at Sayora who was sitting on the ground, then looked back at Akito. "Everyone's looking for you," he said. _

"_Of course," Akito replied as he walked away with Kureno following him. "Sorry for being late. That stupid cow needed to learn his place."_

_Sayora and Haru were soon left alone in silence._

"_Sayora… I'm sorry," Haru apologized, reaching a hand down to her to help her up. _

_She stared at his hand, then sighed as she got up herself, brushing the dirt off her clothes. Haru looked at her in confusion. _

"_Sayora?" _

_She gave him a shaky smile. "I'm sorry Haru."_

_He stared at her in surprise. She never called him _just _'Haru.'_

"_I'm always throwing my problems on you, aren't I?" Sayora asked. "I'm always clinging to you."_

"_Ah…"_

"_You're always doing so much for me, but what have I ever done for __**you**__ in return?"_

"_Sayora…"_

"_From now on, I won't call you 'Haru-nii'_ _or 'Onii-chan' anymore."_

"_Wait… what are you saying?" Haru asked, his eyes widened in shock. _

"_I won't… bother you anymore," she said as she looked up at him with a sad smile. Sayora turned away, but before she could run, Haru grabbed her hand and stopped her, turning her around to face him again. _

"_Sayora, wait," he said calmly._

"_Let go, Haru," she replied in a gentle tone, almost as if trying to comfort him. _

"_I won't." He frowned stubbornly. "I told you the first time we met that I wasn't going to let you go."_

"_Don't worry about me. You have someone else you need to look after, don't you?" she asked. Haru looked at her with sad eyes. "Rin-san needs you… doesn't she?" _

_Haru suddenly realized the choice he had to make. His hold on Sayora loosened, and before he knew it… he had let her go… with a clouded mind, he watched his little sister run off…_

Haru stopped in front of the familiar Souma gate. As he reached his hand out to open the gate, a picture of Sayora running off suddenly flashed in his mind.

_Why did I let you go?_ Haru asked himself. _If only I were a little stronger, I could've held onto you both… when you told me you weren't going to call me your 'big brother' anymore, I felt empty. I felt like part of my life was gone. Just like that. So when you called me 'Haru-nii' today, although I knew that something had gone wrong, I couldn't help but feel happy that my little sister was calling for me again…_

"_You're always doing so much for me, but what have I ever done for __**you**__ in return?"_

_Why didn't I tell you?_ Haru quietly pushed the gate open and went inside. _You became a little sister for me to look after… you became a source of my happiness… __**that's **__what you did for me…_

-----Meanwhile-----

The door to Shigure's house opened and Tohru's face immediately lit up. She jumped up and ran to the front door. Shigure and Yuki watched Tohru with a smile before they got up and walked to the front door themselves.

"Kyo-kun! Sayora-san! Welcome home!" Tohru greeted, overjoyed to see them home together.

"What took you two so long?" Shigure asked in a playful tone. "Tohru-kun's dinner is all cold now."

Sayora and Kyo looked at each other and smiled.

"Sorry," Sayora replied.

"We're home now…" Kyo said.

-----Few Hours Later-----

Sayora sat down on her bed and dialed a number on her cell phone.

_Riiing riiiing riiing riiing…_

Sawaki looked up and walked over to his desk, taking his cell phone out of his bag. He stared at the caller ID. _Sayora…_ he thought, hesitating to answer. "Hello?" he asked when he finally picked up the phone.

"Hey Sawaki," Sayora replied.

"Hey," he said, trying to sound cheerful like he usually did. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," she said. There was a pause. "I… wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" he asked.

"I couldn't get what you said out of my mind," she replied. "You definitely saved me!"

There was a moment of silence. Sawaki was shocked to hear Sayora say that. However, his shocked expression quickly turned into a bright and happy smile. "No, _I_ should be the one thanking _you_!" he replied, confusing Sayora. "You made my wish come true!"

"Huh?" Sayora asked nonplussed.

_I never told you Sayora… since the day you told me you loved him, I wanted to be the one to bring you two together. Because he was always ignoring you, I wanted to make him realize how much he needed you. And because you were so stubborn, I wanted to be the one who forced your eyes open… because of what you did for Asaru and me, I wanted to__** save **__you…_

"Sawaki?" Sayora called after it went silent again.

"It's nothing!" he replied, changing the subject. "So, did you guys _kiss and make up_?"

"Wha?! What're you talking about?!"

"Oh, so you **did!**"

"No we didn't!" Sayora objected.

"So why the big fuss?" he teased.

"Why you!"

_Are you watching Asaru? It looks like Sayora and Kyo have finally found each other in that ridiculously huge maze inside their hearts…_

-----Next Chapter Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 23- Uncertainty

Kyo and Sayora have _finally_ worked things out and things are finally back to normal… or are they? Although their problems have just been cleared, Sayora can't help but feel that Kyo is acting awkward towards her… what in the world could be bothering Kyo so much?


	23. Uncertainty

**dna-** srry for the late update.. ive been really busy with school lately. thanx to everyone for being patient tho! ill try to get the next chap out as soon as i can!

**Hopeless Chapter 23- Uncertainty**

"Good morning Kyo-kun!" Tohru greeted with a huge smile, full of energy.

"Uh… yeah," he replied with a sweat drop.

"Breakfast will be ready soon!" she informed him. Her cheerfulness seemed to have increased.

"Move, stupid cat," Yuki ordered from behind him in a tired voice.

"Ah! Yuki-kun! Good morning!"

Yuki smiled. "Good morning Honda-san," he replied.

"Hey, stupid rat," Kyo said with a vein popping out of his head. "Do you _have_ to be so damn unpleasant so early in the morning?"

"Isn't he _always_ like that in the morning though?" Sayora asked as she joined them.

"Good morning Sayora-san!!" Tohru yelled happily.

"G…good morning…" she replied, a bit frightened by Tohru's merry attitude.

Shigure laughed from behind them. "You can't blame Tohru-kun for being too happy," he told to Sayora and Kyo. "After all, up until now, she'd been depressed over the two of you."

"I suppose…" Sayora admitted.

"Kyo-kun! Sayora-chan!" Shigure pointed at the two of them, giving them one of his idiotic looks. "You both should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"You don't have to rub it in!" Sayora replied through her teeth.

"So therefore," he continued, not paying attention to what his younger cousin had said, "I demand that you both get on your knees and apologize!"

"Go to hell!" Kyo and Sayora said at the same time, angry fists hitting Shigure in the face.

"Breakfast is ready!" Tohru announced, carrying two plates of food past the others.

"Oh, I'll get the other two," Sayora offered as she took the other two plates of food on the kitchen counter and carried them to the small table in the living room.

"I'll set the table," Yuki said, walking to the cabinet to get extra plates and silverware.

"Someone get the rice!" Sayora shouted from the living room.

Kyo looked at Shigure. "Get the rice," he said.

"My, how terrible Kyo-kun," Shigure started to whine. "You move out of my house for a week and suddenly come back with less manners than before. While Yuki-kun, Sayora-chan, and Tohru-kun are diligently setting up for breakfast, you're just standing around waiting for them to finish. And once they finish, you'll sit down and eat like a pig. At least before, you were decent enough to help get the rice, but now…" He pretended to sigh heavily in disappointment. "How low you have fallen Kyo-kun… so so low."

A vein popped out of Kyo's head. "Speak for yourself!" he shouted. "You've _never_ helped with anything around the house!"

"This _is_ my house," he pointed out. "And you're all living off of me."

"And aren't you just living off the estate's money?" Kyo asked.

"Someone get the rice!!" Sayora shouted in an aggravated voice.

Kyo turned to say something to Shigure but found that he wasn't there anymore. He looked into the living room and found Shigure seated and waiting to eat. A vein popped out of Kyo's head as he glared at his cousin.

"**Get the rice!!"** Sayora roared.

"Alright! Stop shouting dammit!" Kyo grumbled as he walked back to the kitchen to get the rice.

-----Few Moments Later-----

As everyone was eating breakfast, Kyo and Sayora grabbed the same spring roll. Sayora frowned and turned to Kyo. "Th—" She cut herself off in surprise when Kyo let go without any arguments. She looked at Kyo, still confused.

"What?" Kyo asked.

"N-nothing…" she replied.

"You can take that one," he said without looking at her as he grabbed a different spring roll.

Sayora didn't reply right away. It felt weird… not necessarily in a bad way, but it wasn't quite in a good way either. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Shigure took one glance at Kyo and he could immediately tell that something was wrong. However, Shigure ignored it. After all, it was Kyo's problem. He needed to work through it himself.

"Oh yeah, Sayora," Yuki said. "Kakeru said that you came by the student council office the other day to get the papers but I wasn't there."

"Oh, yeah," she remembered.

"Can you come get them before fourth period today?"

"Sure," she replied. "What're they for anyway?"

"Oh, the end of the school year is coming up," Yuki informed. "All the eleventh graders are going on a field trip to Okinawa."

"Eh? Okinawa?" Tohru asked.

"Then that means we're going to the beach, right?" Sayora asked.

"Hwaaaaa!!" Shigure suddenly yelled, scaring everyone. "I'm so jealous!! There will be lots of high school girls in bikinis! I wanna go! I wanna go! I wanna go!!!"

"Eh?" Tohru wondered when Kyo and Yuki instantly blocked her from Shigure's view.

"No, definitely no," Yuki strongly objected with a look of pure disgust on his face. "You are definitely not going."

"Damn perverted dog!" Kyo added.

Shigure sweat dropped at the two boys. "I was talking about _other_ high school girls…" he clarified.

-----Fifteen Minutes Later-----

"So Honda-san, did you prepare for the math test today?" Yuki asked as he and the others walked through the school gates.

"Ah!" Tohru cried as she stopped.

"Eh?" Yuki stopped and sweat dropped when he turned to see Tohru's horrified face. He sweat dropped even more when he saw Sayora's horrified face behind her.

"Oh no! Oh no!" Tohru began to panic. "I completely forgot! What'll I do?! I'm going to fail it!"

"D-don't worry Honda-san," Yuki assured with a nervous smile. "I'll help you study before class."

"Really?!" she asked, happy and relieved.

"Dammit! I'm so screwed!!" Sayora yelled as she looked into her bag, desperately searching for something.

"Yo, Sayora!" Uo greeted from behind, tapping her shoulder.

"_DoN't MeSs WiTh Me DaMmIt!!"_ Sayora growled in Uo's face. "_i FoRgOt My FrIcKeN CaLcULaToR!!"_

Uo sweat dropped while Tohru and Yuki watched nervously.

"Idiot," Kyo muttered, loud enough for Sayora to hear.

Uo looked up at Kyo and Sayora, her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Who the hell are you calling an idiot?!" Sayora demanded.

"Who the hell do you _think_ I'm calling an idiot?" Kyo asked.

_They're… __**arguing?**_Uo thought to herself.

"Why you!!" Sayora growled.

"Hey, Tohru…" Uo said as she walked up to her friend.

"Yes?" Tohru asked with a smile. "Eh?" She became worried when she saw the serious look on Uo's face.

"Those two…" she trailed off.

Tohru smiled again. "Everything is alright now," she said. "Yesterday, Kyo-kun and Sayora-san worked things out and came back home together."

"I wonder… did they _really_ work things out?" someone asked from behind.

"Hanajima!" Uo cried in surprise.

"The air between those two… have not completely settled yet," Hana said as she stared at the two darkly.

"Eh?" Tohru asked, sounding worried. "What do you mean, Hana-chan?"

Hana looked at her friend's troubled face, then smiled. "Nothing, Tohru-kun," she assured. "It's nothing."

Though Tohru seemed convinced, Yuki didn't. He glanced at Sayora and Kyo who were arguing, wondering what Hanajima had meant.

-----Few Minutes Later-----

"Sawaki!!"

He abruptly looked up, startled at his name being yelled so loudly. The classroom door slammed open as Sayora rushed to his desk, clapping her hands together in front of her and bowing.

"Eh?" Sawaki stared nonplussed at the girl in front of him.

"Lemme borrow your extra calculator for the math test!" Sayora pleaded desperately.

"My extra calculator?" he repeated.

"Yes!" she replied impatiently.

"Well uh… I…" he trailed off, putting his hand behind his head as he looked up at Sayora with a sheepishly nervous smile. "I kinda lent it to Manabe… so uh…" Sawaki trailed off once again.

"Whaaat?!" Sayora cried in disbelief. Her last hope of passing the math test had just gone out the window.

"Try not to flunk," Kyo said as he walked by her and to his desk.

"Shut up!" she retorted as she snatched Kyo's backpack and snagged his calculator.

"Wha?! Hey! Give it back!" he shouted.

"No way!"

Yuki sighed, muttering "idiot" under his breath while Tohru watched them with a smile. It felt awkward for her to think this, but she was truly relieved and happy that they were arguing again. Sawaki was also relieved. He smiled as he watched the two fight over the calculator.

_It looks like things are finally—!_

"I said give it back!!" Kyo shouted angrily, pulling Sawaki out of his thoughts. He and Yuki immediately stared at him in alarm. Uo and Hana instantly glanced at him. Even Tohru hadn't missed the genuinely angry tone in his voice that had frozen Sayora and silenced the class. Kyo moodily snatched his calculator out of Sayora's hand and walked back to his desk, dropping himself on his chair.

_Uh oh! This is bad!_ Sawaki thought. The whole class was staring back and forth between Kyo and Sayora, whispering about the commotion that had just occurred. The class turned their attention to Sawaki who got up and walked to Kyo's desk.

"What?" Kyo asked, staring at him suspiciously.

Suddenly, a mischievous grin appeared on Sawaki's face as he tipped Kyo's chair back, balancing it on its two hind legs.

"Ah!" Kyo cried in surprise.

"That's no good, _Kyon-chan_!" he scolded playfully. "Don't you know it's bad to yell at a girl?"

"What the hell?! Put my chair down dammit!"

Sawaki leaned on the back of Kyo's chair which was still on its hind legs. "Don't be mad! Get glad!" He purposely tipped the chair too far, causing both him and Kyo to fall backwards. "Whoa!"

The class let out a roar of laughter, and just like that, Sawaki had made everyone forget about the incident between Kyo and Sayora. Yuki glared at Kyo, mentally cursing him.

-----After Class-----

Sayora gathered her things and put them in her backpack. _I wonder if Kyo's still mad…_ she thought worriedly.

"Hey, stupid wolf," Kyo said in a mocking tone as he walked up to her. "Did you fail your test?"

"Thanks to you," she snarled. _Thank god…_ _he's not mad at me anymore…_

"What do you mean _'thanks to me?!'_" he demanded.

"All you had to do was lend me your calculator, but no! You just had to be selfish, didn't you?!"

"Look who's talking!" Kyo argued. "Why should _I_ get a bad grade just because you forgot your calculator?!"

"Because that's what a _descent_ person would do! I'm sure you'd know nothing about that, now would you?!"

"You know Tohru," Uo said as she sat down next to her smiling friend, "I'm really relieved."

"Eh?" Tohru asked.

"Yes, I am also relieved," Hana agreed as she joined them, "because before, Tohru-kun was not happy. A smile suits you the most."

At that comment, Tohru smiled even more. "Truthfully, I am relieved as well," she replied. "I'm so happy that Kyo-kun and Sayora-san are finally fighting again!"

Uo sweat dropped. _She says it like it's a good thing,_ she thought. "Ah…" Uo happened to notice Hana staring darkly at the bickering couple again. Then she remembered what her friend had said earlier that day.

"_I wonder… did they __**really**__ work things out?"_

Uo stared at Sayora and Kyo who were still arguing with each other. _They _seem_ normal enough…_ she thought to herself, not removing her gaze from them.

Sawaki caught Hana and Uo's suspicious stares. He, too, couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong.

-----After Fourth Period-----

Sayora walked out of the classroom, on her way down to the student council office to get the permission forms from Yuki.

"Sayora-san!" Tohru called as she approached her.

"Oh, hey Tohru," she replied, wondering what she wanted.

"I just saw Yuki-kun and he asked me to remind you to drop by the student council office," she informed.

"I was just on my way there," Sayora replied.

"Oh, is that so?" she asked rhetorically with a smile. "By the way, have you seen Kyo-kun?"

"Kyo?" she repeated. "No, why?"

"Kyo-kun let me borrow his homework so I could check my answers and I wanted to give it back to him…" she replied.

"But you'll have to see him when fifth period starts anyway so it doesn't really matter, does it?" Sayora asked curiously.

Tohru laughed sheepishly, realizing that Sayora was right. "I suppose not."

"Well, if I see him, I'll tell him that you're looking for him."

"Thank you!"

"I'll see you when fifth starts then," Sayora said as she started to walk to the council office. "I have to—AHHHHHH!!!" she screamed horrifically, her eyes widened in shock when she carelessly bumped into someone. _Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!!!!!!_ she thought. She didn't know who it was she bumped into, only that it was a guy. Sayora squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation. But nothing came… nothing was happening. She finally cracked one of her eyes open, barely enough to see anything in front of her. She was staring into some man's chest.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kyo asked in a completely baffled and confused tone of voice.

"Huh?" Sayora opened her eyes and looked up at the person standing in front of her. "Kyo! You **stupid** cat!! I thought I was gonna transform!!" Sayora shouted, exhaustedly gasping for air.

"Transform into what?" asked a voice that was only familiar to Sayora.

"Kakeru!" she shouted in shock.

"Geez, what're you doing here?" he asked with a sigh as he grabbed Sayora's arm and started dragging her down the hall.

"Ah! Kakeru! Wait!"

Tohru and Kyo watched the two leave.

"Do you know how much trouble I had to go through to find you?!" they heard Kakeru ask. "YunYun threatened to send his fan club after me! His **fan club** for god's sake! Can you believe that?!"

"Hey! I said hold on!" Sayora shouted.

The two listened to the amusing argument until the two voices died out. Then, Kyo turned toward the classroom and sighed. It was a quiet sigh, almost inaudible, but Tohru still heard it. Before she could say anything however, Kyo spoke up first. "You're done checking your homework, right?" he asked with a tired smile.

"Oh, yes!" Tohru replied with enthusiasm as she ran past him and into the classroom. "Thank you so much! Let me return them to you!"

Sawaki watched Kyo stare down the hallway where Kakeru had dragged Sayora away.

_Pathetic…_ Sawaki thought.

-----Sayora and Kakeru-----

"I was just about to come down here!" Sayora complained as the two walked to the council office. "You didn't have to drag me, you know…"

"Of course I did!" he replied. "We don't want to give YunYun and Machi _too_ much alone time together! Who knows what YunYun will do!"

"Yuki's a descent person, unlike you," she replied.

-----Meanwhile, in the Student Council Room-----

"Machi, I was thinking…" Yuki said. "If you're free after school today, maybe we could go to the café together."

"The… the café?" Machi asked, blushing.

"Can you come with me?" he asked with a smile.

Machi opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her heart was beating faster and faster, and for a moment, she thought she was going to have a heart attack. And then… the door slammed open and Machi fell backwards off her chair, hitting her head on the floor.

"Oh my god!! Machi!!" Yuki cried as he quickly went to her side to see if she was okay.

"YUNYUUUUUUN!!!" Kakeru shouted loudly. "Eh?" He saw Machi on the ground and Yuki leaning over her. He exaggerated a shocked gasp, then pointed an accusing finger at the two of them. "See YonYon?!" Kakeru asked. "See what happens when we leave a desperate guy by himself with a shy and fragile girl?!"

"It's not like that!!" Yuki denied.

"And you said he was a descent man!" Kakeru said to Sayora.

"**It's not like that!!!"** Yuki shouted.

"_HeEeEeYyY!!"_ Kimi's cheery voice greeted over all the commotion as her elbow landed on Kakeru's head, knocking him to the ground. _"Is KaKeRu InTeRrUpTiNg YuNyUn AnD mAcHi'S nAuGhTy TiMe ToGeThEr?"_

"I said it's not like that!!" he denied yet again as he slammed his hand down.

Sayora sweat dropped.

"Um… Yuki…" she tried to tell him.

"Hey, YonYon," Kimi said. "How long do you think Machi can hold her breath?"

"Eh?" Yuki finally looked down and noticed that he had slammed his hand down on Machi's face. "Ah! Machi!" he cried worriedly, removing his hand. "I'm so sorry!! Are you okay?!"

She silently pulled herself up into a sitting position, gently caressing her face.

"Geez, YunYun is just so hopeless when it comes to being romantic," Kakeru sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Yuki demanded, trying not to blush.

"Ahh!" Kakeru cried when Kimi punched him in the guts.

"_DoN't WoRrY yUnYuN! KiMi WiLL mAkE sUrE kAkErU dOeSn'T iNtRuDe On YoUr NaUgHtY TiMe WiTh MaChi AnYmOrE!" _

Without another word, Kimi exited the office, dragging Kakeru with her.

"Geez!" Yuki muttered with a vein on his head.

Suddenly, Sayora felt awkward being alone with just the two of them.

"Hey Yuki, I need to get back to the classroom so I'll just take the permission forms and let you and Machi have your naughty time together," she said as she grabbed the stack of papers off his desk and left and room.

A very large vein popped out of Yuki's head while Machi turned away from them to hide the fact that she was blushing.

-----End of Fifth Period-----

"Listen up!!" Mayuko yelled loudly to get her students' attention. "There's going to be a test on chapters ten and eleven next week so study hard!" The class groaned in disapproval. After all the whining died down, Mayuko spoke again. "Alright, Souma and Mobaro have an announcement to make!"

The two of them got up and walked to the front of the class. "In place of President Yuki, we'll be informing you about the field trip at the end of the year," Sayora announced.

"In celebration of the end of the school year," Sawaki took over with great enthusiasm, "the eleventh grade class will be taking a trip to…" he paused for a dramatic effect, leaving the class to wonder where they were going. "OKINAWA!!!"

Sayora looked at Sawaki lamely as a surprised and excited reaction swept through the class.

"Anyways…" Sayora continued, quieting the class down a bit. "The trip is explained in detail on the permission form. It has to be signed and returned by the end of next week. Sawaki, Yuki, and I will take the forms."

"OR!" Sawaki cut in with his same idiotic, enthusiastic attitude. "If you can't find any of us, just drop it by the Student's Defense Force Office!!"

Sayora sweat dropped. _Either Kakeru's level of influence is amazing, or Sawaki's just an idiot…_

The bell rang, signaling the end of fifth period and the beginning of lunch. Sayora quickly put away her things and left the room.

"Hey, Kyo!" she called as he stopped and turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"Where're you going? Aren't you going to eat lunch with Tohru and the others?" Sayora wondered.

Kyo flinched slightly, but she didn't catch it. "Well…" he trailed off. "I…"

"You what?" Sayora asked curiously.

"I'm not eating with them today," he replied slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.

"Eh? Why not?" she asked, not catching any of the awkwardness.

"B-because…" he trailed off once more.

"Because?" Sayora repeated.

Kyo shifted uncomfortably and looked away. "I…"

"YonYon!!" a loud and familiar voice screamed into Sayora's ear.

"Ahhh! K-Kimi!!" Sayora replied, holding a hand to her ear, startled by the sudden interruption.

"Come eat lunch with Kimi and Kakeru today!" she said as she started dragging her away.

"What?! But—" she began objecting.

"Kakeru said he made lunch all by himself today and needs someone to test it out!"

"I'm not a guinea pig!" Sayora shouted with a sweat drop.

Kimi turned around and gave a quick wink to Sawaki who was watching everything from a distance behind Kyo. Sawaki nodded in response.

_Thanks Kimi-chan…_ he thought.

Kyo watched the two girls turn the corner and let out a tired and relieved sigh. The events that had occurred the night before flashed through his mind.

"_Don't go. Please don't go yet…"_

"_I don't like the way things are between us right now. I want us to go back to the way we were."_

"_I'm really sorry!" _

_Regardless of what she said…_

"_I want us to go back to the way we were too… it's lonely when you're not there…"_

_Regardless of what __**I**__ said… she still rejected me… I feel like I still can't completely forgive her…_

"I knew it," Sawaki said, abruptly pulling Kyo out of his thoughts as he turned to face him.

"You…" Kyo replied, wondering what he wanted.

"You didn't forgive her after all," he continued. "You've ignored her you're whole life, but she never complained. Not once. She never held a grudge or hated you for it. Yet… she ignores for a few days and you resent her for it… I wonder… who's the one being rejected?"

"I know…" Kyo replied, surprising Sawaki. "I know I'm being selfish… you don't have to tell me that…"

There was a moment of silence.

"Is it because of that girl?"

Kyo looked at Sawaki.

"That Honda Tohru girl," Sawaki clarified. "Is _she_ the reason you won't forgive Sayora? Are you using Sayora's rejection as an excuse to hate her… so you won't feel guilty for loving that Honda girl?"

"What's _that_ suppose to mean?" Kyo asked.

"_Is_ it?" Sawaki asked again, pushing for a clear answer.

Kyo frowned and looked away. "It's not like that…" he replied quietly.

"Then what _is_ it like?"

After a while of silence, Kyo replied. "My problems don't concern you… stop butting in…"

-----Meanwhile in Kakeru's Classroom-----

"Hey, this is actually pretty good," Sayora said as she ate the lunch that Kakeru had made.

"Ehhhh? Then Kakeru must not have made it," Kimi said bluntly. "Last time Kakeru made food, his mom ended up in the hospital with stomach poisoning for three days!"

Sayora sweat dropped as she immediately stopped eating.

"You're so mean YonYon!!" Kakeru whined. "You believe this vile and cunning girl over _me_?!"

"Yes."

"YonYooonnn!!" he cried.

"YonYon and Kimi are best friends!" Kimi said, hugging Sayora. "YonYon will believe whatever Kimi says!"

"There you are!!" Nao shouted furiously as he entered the classroom and stomped up to Kakeru.

"Ah! Hey Chibisuke!" Kakeru greeted.

"What're you doing here Vice President?!" he continued shouting.

"What do you mean _what am I doing here_?" Kakeru asked. "Can't you see I'm being held prisoner by these two evil witches?!"

"All I see is you slacking off!!"

"Ah! Since you're here…" Kakeru turned around and grabbed another bentou out of his backpack. "Eat lunch with us!"

A vein popped out of Nao's head. "I'm not hungry!!"

"If you eat, I'll do all my work without slacking off!" he said in a teasing voice.

Nao froze. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he deeply contemplated his two decisions. Should he trust Kakeru? Or would it prove to be the wrong decision? Another bead of sweat rolled down his face.

"Kimi thinks Nao-chan should do it!" Kimi urged.

The small boy gulped hesitantly as he _very_ slowly took the bentou from Kakeru.

"You can't be serious…" Sayora muttered to herself as she watched Nao open the lid.

Then, just as slowly as he had taken the lunch, Nao took his chopsticks and took grabbed a small portion of his meal. He put it in his mouth… chewed… and then swallowed. Suddenly, his eyes widened as if in awe and amazement.

"This… this…!!" He was at a lost for words.

Kimi and Sayora looked at Nao curiously… and as Nao collapsed to the ground knocked out, Sayora stared at him lamely.

"Ehhhh? _That_ must've been the lunch that Kakeru made," Kimi stated.

"Success!!" Kakeru declared happily.

Sayora sweat dropped. "He's dying." she said.

"Oh, he'll be fine," Kakeru assured. "Chibisuke's stronger than he looks."

"No. He's **really** dying!!"

Nao was lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back, twitching.

"I'm baaack!" Sawaki announced as he entered the classroom and sweat dropped at the sight of the dying boy on the ground.

"Ah! Sawaki! Try this!" Kakeru replied as he grabbed the lunch he had given to Nao. "Ahh!!"

Kimi landed a punch in Kakeru's gut. "Kimi doesn't appreciate Kakeru poisoning her boyfriend," she said with her usual cute expression.

"M-Manabe's food did _that_?" Sawaki asked nervously.

"Kakeru's girlfriend must've made the food that YonYon is eating because YonYon isn't dying like Nao-chan!" Kimi said.

"Eh…?" Sayora trailed off, seeming deep in thought. _Ko… maki…?_

Sawaki looked at Sayora worriedly as Kakeru looked at her in curiosity.

"YonYon?" Kakeru asked, waving his hands in front of her.

"Sayora?" Sawaki called, tapping her shoulder.

Kimi took in a deep breath. "**YONYON!!!**" she screamed.

The whole class went silent. The two boys flinched in pain, rubbing their ears as they sweat dropped. Sayora sat there trembling with tears in her eyes. It felt like her ears were bleeding. Kimi stared at the frozen Sayora curiously. Deciding that she hadn't been pulled out of her thoughts yet, she took in another deep breath.

"Ahh!!" Sawaki and Kakeru panicked, not wanting her to blast out their eardrums again.

"Wait Kimi-chan!!" Sawaki cried as he slapped a hand over her mouth.

"If you scream anymore, Chibisuke isn't going to be the only one lying on the ground!" Kakeru warned Kimi.

"Ah, Sayora…" Yuki said as he walked by the classroom and entered.

"Huh?" Sayora recovered from her earlier shock and looked at Yuki. "Oh, hey. What is it?"

"Honda-san was wondering where you were," he replied. He walked up to Sayora and noticed the twitching boy on the ground and sweat dropped. "W… what happened?" he asked, unsure if he really wanted an answer.

"Ah! YunYun!" Kakeru cut in before anyone could respond. "Want to try my lunch? I made it all by myself!!" He handed the lunch to Yuki.

"Really?" Yuki asked cluelessly, taking the bentou. "I didn't know you could cook…"

Sayora got up. "That's because he _can't_," she said to Yuki as she walked by him. "Unless you want to end up like Naohito, I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

Yuki sweat dropped. "I… I see…" he replied.

"Waaaahh!!" Kakeru whined as he walked beside her. "Why are you so mean YonYon?! Can't a guy have his fun?!"

"Not you," she replied as she walked by him, trying to get away from him.

"Where're you going, Sayora?" Sawaki asked.

"To see Tohru," she replied.

Kimi felt Sawaki's hand twitch. "Wait! Hold on!" he suddenly said, stopping Sayora halfway out the door. "Why?!"

Sayora looked at him oddly, wondering what he was so worked up about. "Because…" she replied.

"Because what?" he asked anxiously.

"Didn't you hear Yuki? Tohru was looking for me."

"You're gonna see her when lunch ends in ten minutes anyways, s-so just hang out with us until then!" he urged.

"Huh?" Sayora was starting to get worried. "Sawaki… what's wrong?"

A sly grin appeared on Kakeru's face. "Awwww… just admit that you don't want her to go because you just can't get enough of her!" he teased.

"It's not—agh!!"

"Ehhhhh?!" Kimi interrupted as she jumped on his back, her elbow landing sharply on his head. "Two-timing is bad Sawa-chan!"

Sayora sweat dropped at the sight of Sawaki holding his head in pain. "Uh… I'm gonna go… so…"

"No! Wai—ahh!!"

Kimi's other elbow landed on his head. "Bye-bye YonYon!!" she shouted, drowning Sawaki out.

Yuki watched Sayora leave the classroom, then looked back at Sawaki who was trying to get Kimi off his back. He couldn't get Sawaki's worried expression out of his mind, and the tone of voice he had used when he asked Sayora to stay sounded almost desperate. Following his instinct, Yuki left the classroom after her.

-----Sayora-----

Sayora made her way up the stairs and opened the door to the roof, finding Tohru and her friends, just as she had expected. However, she also saw someone she hadn't quite expected to see. Kyo looked up and flinched when he saw who had joined them. He apparently hadn't expected to see Sayora either.

"Ah! Sayora-san!" Tohru greeted brightly as she scooted closer to Uo, making room for her.

"Hey," she replied with a smile as she took a seat in the space Tohru had provided.

"Have you eaten yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have," Sayora answered.

"Man Sayo, if only you were here from the beginning!" Uo said excitedly. "You missed seeing Kyon turn all red from bumping his hand with Tohru! It was hilarious!!"

"Indeed it was," Hana agreed in her apathetic voice, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Kyo flinched.

Sayora looked at Hana and Uo oddly. "I don't see how it could've been _that_ funny…"

"What're you talking about?!" Uo asked. "His head just went _puff_ and turned all red! You could almost see smoke rising, right Hanajima?! Tell her!"

"Yes, you could almost see smoke rising…" Hana repeated lazily, drinking her juice.

Tohru blushed and glanced at Kyo right when he happened to glance at her. The both quickly looked away in embarrassment.

"Have you ever considered a career in writing?" Sayora asked Uo sarcastically. "You're really good at exaggerating details."

"sHe wAsN't ExAgGeRaTiNg," Hana said as she eerily looked at Sayora, sending unwanted chills down her spine.

"O… okay…" Sayora replied with a sweat drop. _Geez…_ she thought as she turned to the orange-haired boy sitting next to her. "Hey Kyo, I thought you said you weren't going to eat lunch with Tohru today."

Kyo shifted uncomfortably. "I-I did?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sayora replied, looking at him curiously.

"O-oh… well uh…"

Suddenly, purple liquid came squirting from Hana's direction.

"Ah!" Sayora and Kyo cried in surprise when they were splashed.

"Oh, sorry," Hana apologized in a monotone voice. "That was an accident."

Uo sweat dropped as a vein popped out of Kyo and Sayora's head. _That was __**so**__ not an accident!!_ they thought, staring at the crushed juice box in her hand.

"Oh no! That was grape juice!" Tohru said.

"Better do something or it'll stain," Uo suggested.

"Sayora-san, Kyo-kun, you should hurry to the bathroom and try to wash it off!"

The two sighed as they got up.

"Guess I'll see you guys back in class then…" Sayora replied as she and Kyo left the roof.

"We should start cleaning up!" Tohru said as she began gathering the trash around her, humming to herself.

"Was that a good idea?" Uo asked quietly to Hana.

"If they're going to argue, they might as well separate themselves from Tohru-kun first…" Hana replied as she started to picking up her trash as well.

-----Kyo and Sayora-----

Kyo and Sayora walked down the hall silently toward the bathroom. Her suspicion had been confirmed back on the roof when he failed to answer her.

"Kyo… you…" Sayora spoke up as she slowed to a stop. "You haven't forgiven me after all… have you?"

The unexpected question caught Kyo off guard as he too stopped and turned to face her.

"W-what're you talking about?" Kyo asked, pretending to be clueless as he slapped on a fake, strained smile. "I already told you that there was nothing to forgive you for."

"Liar!" Sayora yelled, startling him. "Even though you keep saying that…"_ It feels like I'm being stabbed with a hundred needles…_ "Even if you tell me that a thousand times…" _It feels like I'm being __**teased**__…_ "If you haven't _really_ forgiven me…" _It feels like he's trying to pull away… _"Then you shouldn't say things like that and make me get my hopes up…" _It feels like I'm suffocating… the air I breathe… Kyo… __**he's slipping away…**_

Kyo stared at Sayora, not knowing what to say. He hadn't intended to hurt her. In his heart, he truly wanted to forgive her, but something held him back. Something made him hesitant… unsure… unable to let go of the grudge he had against her, even though he wanted to.

"How did you forgive me for ignoring you?" Kyo suddenly asked.

"… what're saying…?" Sayora asked.

"How did you not hate me for shutting you out of my life?"

Sayora stared into Kyo's eyes in disbelief, wondering how he could've asked such questions with such innocence.

_How could you ask me something so innocently that it fills me up with so much doubt…?_

"How did you do it?" Kyo asked. "How did you forgive me for doing something so terrible to you?"

_Why does it have to come down to whether we forgive each other or not…? Why can't it just come down to second chances…? You were the one who made me believe that second chances were worth the risk of getting hurt twice as much… so why can't you risk a second chance for me as I did for you?_

Sawaki and Kimi happened to turn into the hallway together, holding hands, smiling, and happily talking. However, as soon as Sawaki looked up and saw the expression on Kyo and Sayora's faces, he froze. What he feared would have happened _had_ happened.

"Ah…" Kimi felt Sawaki's hand slip out of hers as he walked over to Sayora.

"Sayora, what're you doing standing in the middle of the hall?" he asked. "Sixth is about to start you know?" He looked at her and noticed the purple stain on her shirt. "Ah! What happened? You should hurry and get that cleaned up before it permanently stains…" he suggested as he grabbed her hand and led her down the hall. "C'mon, let's go!"

Kimi watched Sawaki lead Sayora away. She smiled sadly and let out a small sigh under her breath as she turned around and went back the way she came. After they turned the corner, Kyo looked down, as if ashamed to have asked Sayora such foolish questions.

"Stupid cat," a familiar voice muttered behind him.

Kyo turned around to find Yuki who had been there the whole time.

"What do you want, you damn rat?" Kyo asked tiredly.

"How could you ask her something so inconsiderate?" Yuki asked harshly, glaring at his cousin.

"Tch!" Kyo frowned as he jabbed his hands in his pockets and walked by Yuki. "Shut the hell up! What would you know?!"

Without any warning, Yuki grabbed Kyo by the collar of his shirt and yanked him back, slamming him into the wall. Kyo winced slightly from the impact.

"What the hell is your problem?!" he shouted angrily.

Kyo was answered with a punch to the face.

"Why you!!" he growled, quickly recovering.

"Ah! Kyo-kun! Yuki-kun!" Tohru cried worriedly as she came running. "Are you two arguing again?!"

After a few seconds of silence, Yuki let go of Kyo's shirt disgustedly.

"Sorry Honda-san, this stupid cat started it," Yuki said casually as he walked up to her.

"What?!" Kyo demanded. "You were the one who just punched me out of nowhere!"

"What do you mean _'out of nowhere?'_" Yuki asked. "Have your skills downgraded that much, stupid cat?"

"Oh yeah?! Why don't you try and punch me again you damn rat?!" he shouted as he raised his fists.

"Please calm down, Kyo-kun!" she pleaded as she started to freak out like she always did.

Kyo stared at her for a while before reluctantly putting his fists down. "Whatever…" he muttered. "I'm gonna wash out this stain so you go back to class first," he told Tohru.

"Okay!" she replied, glad that their argument had subsided for the time being. "Are you going back to class now Yuki-kun? Why don't we go back together?"

"Sure," he said with a warm smile. His smile faded for a moment when he walked by Kyo. "You're lucky that Honda-san thinks of our fights as normal routine…" he whispered to him.

Kyo watched Yuki and Tohru leave, then turned and went into the bathroom. He looked down at his shirt and grumbled. _Damn that psychic…_ he thought as he wet a paper towel and tried to remove the purple blotch. A vein popped on his head when nothing happened. _This stupid grape juice isn't coming off at all!_ He squirted soap onto the towel and ran some water over it. As he did, he looked up in the mirror and the events that had occurred a few moments before came rushing back to him. He remembered the look of pure shock and disbelief on Sayora's face and wondered if he had been too cruel asking her such absurd questions.

"_How did you not hate me for shutting you out of my life?"_

Kyo stared at his reflection in the mirror.

"_If you haven't __**really **__forgiven me… then you shouldn't say things like that and make me get my hopes up…"_

He frowned slightly. _It's not like I didn't want to forgive you… _

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 24- Tension

Tension is building up between everyone, everywhere. Relationship problems are rising between Sawaki and Kimi. Misunderstanding has come between Haru and Sayora. Tohru is plunged into uncertainty when someone questions her about her feelings for Kyo. As Sawaki confronts Kyo about Sayora, Yuki confronts Sayora about Kyo. Meanwhile, Shigure sits back and watches the turmoil that has stirred up with satisfaction… but why is he toying with Sayora and Kyo, asking them questions that only seem to bring them further apart…?


	24. Tension

**dna-** ugh its been like... a year? around there? for those who have actually been patient enough to wait that long just for one chapter, thank you! i really mean that! i was so caught up in my school work, and then i hit an indestructable wall of writer's block..two-thirds of this chapter probably wasn't what i had planned it to be but w/e. the story's still headed in the same direction :P again thanks to everyone whos been patient enough to wait! i promise no update will EVER take this long ever again!

ohh..before i forget, some ppl emailed me and asked me stuff so.. whoever emailed me and asked, the long awaited romance between sayora and kyo will begin next chap...hopefully lol. and someone emailed me and asked why Sayora was at Kyoko's funeral, that'll be answered in later chapters.. and the person that asked me about sayora's curse, that'll also be answered in later chapters :) prob around chap 27 or 28, somewhere around there.. also, someone was wondering about how sayora and sawaki went to the same middle school and why i didnt clarify on that..actually, that's all gonna be answered in the next chapter..ummm, cant remember the other questions ppl emailed me so ill answer them int he a/n section in the next chapter..and anyone with questions feel free to ask :P

**Hopeless Chapter 24- Tension**

Sayora quietly closed to door to her room and turned around just in time to catch Kyo walking by her.

"Ah!" she called out, taking a step toward him.

"Hm?" Kyo stopped and turned around.

"G-good morning," Sayora greeted nervously.

"Oh, y-yeah… good morning," he stammered as well. Without another word, Kyo quickly went downstairs, escaping the awkward tension that had built up in that short while.

_Wrong… this wasn't how things were supposed to turn out…_ she thought to herself as she went downstairs as well. As she walked down the hall to join everyone in the living room, she ran into Kyo once again. Kyo flinched for a moment before greeting her again.

"H-hey," he said, forcing a smile on before quickly escaping into the kitchen.

Sayora looked down and frowned. _We were supposed to go back to the way we were before. We were supposed to be able to talk to each other and look at each other without having to avoid each other! This isn't what I wanted! _

"Has anyone seen Shigure-san?" Tohru's voice drifted into the hall.

_The relationship between us is so strained right now…_

"Come to think of it… I haven't seen him at all this morning…" Yuki replied.

_It feels like the gap between us hasn't shrunk at all…_

"Who cares?" Kyo asked. "He'll show his stupid face sooner or later."

_If 'getting back to the way we were'_ _meant __**this**__, then this wasn't what I wanted!! Being forced to put a mask on every time we see each other… this is even worse than before!_

"Sayora-chan," someone suddenly said from behind her, abruptly pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Shi-Shigure!" she replied with a jump.

"Ah, sorry, did I scare you?" he asked.

"Oh… yeah," Sayora replied quietly as she looked down again. "I was just thinking…"

"Then you must've been pretty deep in thought," Shigure inferred. He lowered his voice as a smirk crept onto his face. "Perhaps you're regretting the way things have turned out for you."

Sayora's eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"It's too bad, isn't it?" he asked in a mocking tone. "After all, _you're_ the reason things are they way they are." Shigure watched his little cousin stare at the ground in silence, probably stunned by what he said. "That's the worst part about this whole thing, isn't it?" he asked. "It's all _your_ fault. You have no one to blame, nor can you blame the curse. It was all just your own stupidity."

Sayora could feel herself trembling as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. How was Shigure able to make the truth hurt so bad with only just a few words? She would never be able to understand.

"You know Sayora-chan, sometimes I wonder…" Shigure continued. "…who are you _really_ trying to protect? Are you really trying to protect Kyo-kun from your curse? Or is the one you're trying to protect yourself?" There was no reply. "You keep saying that it's all for him, but to me…" Shigure spoke in a quiet, dark tone, "… you sound like you're afraid of being found out for what you really are…"

"Ah! There they are!" Tohru's cheerful voice cut in as she stopped beside Shigure with two trays of food in her hands.

"Oh, good morning Tohru-kun," Shigure greeted with a smile.

"Told you he would show his face sooner or later," Kyo said as he and Yuki joined them in the hall.

"Oh, Honda-san, let me get that for you," Yuki offered as he took a tray from Tohru and went into the living room to set it down.

"Thank you!" she replied.

"Here, I'll get the other one," Kyo said as he took the other tray and disappeared into the living room as well.

"Breakfast is ready now!" Tohru announced to Sayora and Shigure.

Shigure nodded in response. "It smells delicious Tohru-kun." He turned to Sayora with a smile. "Doesn't it Sayora-chan?" He looked at her as she frowned and clenched her fists. "Is there something wrong?" Shigure asked innocently.

"I've lost my appetite," she mumbled as she walked by the two and into the living room.

"Ah! Sayora-san!" Tohru cried as she followed her.

Kyo and Yuki looked up, wondering what was going on. Sayora grabbed her backpack and left the living room without a word.

"Ah! Sayora!" Yuki called as he stood up and followed her. "Where are you going? Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled in response as she pushed past Shigure who was standing in the middle of the hall.

Kyo peaked into the hall right in time to see the door shut.

"What happened?" Yuki asked.

"Who knows," Shigure shrugged as he walked into the living room. "Now, why don't we eat breakfast before it gets cold?"

Kyo and Yuki both watched Shigure suspiciously, knowing that he must've done something to upset Sayora…

-----School-----

Uo and Hana looked up when the classroom door opened.

"Oh! Sayo! What's up?" Uo greeted brightly.

Sayora walked to her desk and put her backpack down before replying. "Hey," she said with whatever small enthusiasm she could muster at the moment.

"Where's Tohru and the other two?" Uo wondered.

"At home, eating," she replied as she sat down.

Uo and Hana immediately exchanged a quick, concerned glance to each other. They could easily tell that something was wrong.

"Oi Sayo, did you know there's a test in government today?" Uo asked, quickly bringing up the first thing that came to mind.

"Yeah, I know. There's a fitness test in gym today too," she replied.

"Oh my, it seems that I will be catching a cold before seventh period today then," Hana said.

Uo sweat dropped. "It's only a flexibility test…"

After a while, Sayora leaned next to Uo. "Doesn't Hanajima just suck at everything physical?" she whispered.

An eerie glance from Hana stopped Uo from answering and sent a chill down Sayora's spine.

"I-it was just a joke," Sayora assured with a nervous laugh.

"What was just a joke?" someone asked from behind.

"Ah, Sawaki," she said.

"Did you come to school alone?" he asked as he put his stuff down.

"Yeah."

"Oh," he replied, getting a bad feeling. "Hey, we still have twenty minutes till class starts, so let's go find Manabe!" he suddenly suggested.

"Eh? Kakeru? Why?" Sayora asked.

"Just c'mon!" Sawaki grabbed Sayora's arm and started dragging her away.

"What?! But I don't want to!"

Uo and Hana watched as the two left the class.

"Somehow… they look like they're a couple…" Uo said, half to herself.

-----Sayora and Sawaki-----

"What is it with you dragging me everywhere?" Sayora complained.

Sawaki suddenly stopped and turned to face her. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, frowning slightly at her. "It's because you're always making that face!"

"Ah…" She looked at him, surprised by his response. "Sawaki…" Sayora sighed, looking up at him. "If you keep saying those kinds of things to me, Kimi's going to get jealous."

"Don't worry about that," he assured her. "She wouldn't get jealous over seeing us together."

"Then at least stop holding my arm," she replied. "I'm not gonna run away or anything."

"Yes you would," he argued. "Remember when we first met? You wouldn't stop running from me."

A vein popped out of Sayora's head. "Well _maybe_ that was because you were following me everywhere! I'll have my arm back now, thank you!" she retorted, snatching her arm out of Sawaki's hold.

It was Sawaki's turn to have a vein pop out of his head. "Why are you always so touchy?!" he asked. "It's so uncute!"

"Touchy?!" Sayora repeated. "Look who's talking! You're the one always grabbing me and dragging me off somewhere!"

"I HEARD IT!!" Kakeru suddenly shouted after jumping out of nowhere. "Sawaki is molesting YonYon!!"

"NO!!" they both shouted at the same time.

"Then… YonYon's consented to it?" he asked innocently.

The vein on Sayora's head doubled in size. "_Consented_ to what exactly? I haven't '_consented' _to _anything_!" she replied between her teeth.

"So then…" Kakeru looked at Sawaki. "You're forcing yourself on her?! You have no shame!"

"_You_ have no shame!!" Sawaki shouted angrily.

"What were you guys doing then?"

"We were _looking_ for _you_!" he replied.

"Looking for _me_?" Kakeru asked. He suddenly gasped in horror. "Gang rape?!"

"Ugh!! That's it!!" Sayora shouted in frustration. "I'm going back to class!!"

"Ah! Sayora! Wait!" Sawaki cried, watching her stomp down the hall. "Great, _now_ look what you've done," he said, turning to look at Kakeru.

"So, what's wrong with her?" Kakeru asked.

"Huh?"

"There _has _to be something wrong if _you're_ with her!" he replied jokingly.

"Hey, hey… what are you trying to say?"

"I was just kidding," Kakeru replied. "But you know… ever since the first time I met her, I feel like there's been something bothering her…"

"Oh, really?" he asked with a nervous laugh. _So… even Manabe's noticed it…_

"There's something wrong, isn't there," Kakeru stated more than asked, staring at Sawaki. Then suddenly, he slapped a huge, cheerful grin on his face. "Well, whatever! It's none of my business, right?" He started his way to class. "You better take good care of your girl," he teased.

"Shut up!" Sawaki replied. "I don't need you to tell me that."

"_Sawa-chan_ must be happy! Ladies always run to him with problems!" Kakeru said with a laugh before turning the corner. "Ah, Kimi!" he said with a surprise when he ran into her. "Were you looking for me too? Maybe _I'm _the one who should be happy with all these people running to me," he joked.

Kimi laughed, but it sounded oddly forced and unenthusiastic.

"Kimi… are you okay?" Kakeru asked, worried about her unusual behavior.

She gave him one of her cute, assuring smiles. "Kimi's okay!" she replied, running by him cheerfully. "Kimi has to get to class before she's late so, bye Kakeru!"

"Oh, okay then!" he replied, back to his normal self. "Cya!" Halfway back to class, Kakeru slowed to a stop in the middle of the hall. _There's definitely something wrong with Kimi… she's always so cheerful that when she becomes depressed all of a sudden, it's scary._

_Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!_

"Oh crap!!" Kakeru exclaimed as he dashed down the hall and back to his class.

-----Fourth Period-----

Sawaki sat staring at the clock, fidgeting impatiently for the class to end. He stared at the clock, then shifted his eyes to Sayora… then back to the clock again.

_I thought that they had worked things out but… after yesterday, I'm starting to wonder if things can __**ever**__ go back to the way they were… Sayora may have distanced herself from him but…_

_Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!_

The bell signaling the end of class had _finally_ rung. Sawaki quickly put his stuff away and ran to catch up with Sayora who was about to leave class with Tohru and Kyo.

…_But it's not like she hasn't been patient, waiting all this time… I have to do something,_ he thought. "Hey, Sayora! Wait up!" he yelled as he caught up with them. "It's finally free period," he said to Sayora with a sigh of relief. "Are you doing anything?"

"Actually, I was gonna help Tohru look for—"

"Oh, that's alright," Tohru cut in with a smile. "Uo-chan, Hana-chan, Yuki-kun, and Kyo-kun are already going to help me so it's alright."

"Great!" Sawaki replied, turning to Sayora. "Let's go hang out with Manabe!"

"But…" Sayora said, looking at Kyo. She looked back at Sawaki. "I already told Tohru I was gonna help her—"

"Just go," Kyo interrupted. "It's not gonna take _that_ many people to find a keychain. You don't have to waste your time."

"Wait! Hold on! I never said I didn't want to help!" Sayora replied.

"You don't have to worry about it, right Tohru?" Kyo asked.

"That's right!" Tohru agreed. "Please, don't worry about it Sayora-san!"

"But—"

"They said they don't need help," Sawaki said, dragging Sayora off. "C'mon! Hang out with me and Manabe!"

"We'll see you later Sayora-san!" Tohru said as she and Kyo went the other way.

Sayora turned around and watched them leave as she was dragged away from Kyo by Sawaki.

_Kyo…_ she thought helplessly.

Sawaki glanced back and saw Kyo and Tohru casually talking and laughing, then Kyo smiling and Tohru blushing. However, his attention was quickly pulled away from them when he felt his arm getting pulled down. When he looked down and saw Sayora falling, he quickly moved in to catch her.

"_**NO!!!"**_a voice shouted, startling him, causing to him to freeze up. He looked around him, confused, almost frightened. _It… it can't be…_

Sayora fell face first on the ground. "Ow!"

"O-oh my god!!" Sawaki panicked as he pulled himself together, reaching down to help her up.

"What the hell?!!" Sayora shouted.

"I-I'm sorry!!" he apologized. "I swear I was about to catch you but…" he trailed off. "I don't know what happened! I'm so sorry!"

"I don't need you to catch me," she retorted. "I can catch_ myself_, so next time you see me falling, **let go of my hand! **It's hard to catch yourself with one hand!"

"Well what the hell are you yelling at me for?" he asked. "_You're_ the klutz who decided to trip over your own feet and fall flat on your face!"

"I wouldn't have fallen if you weren't grabbing my arm all the time!"

"What does me grabbing you have anything to do with this?!"

The two suddenly noticed a group of Sawaki's friends staring at them in silence and shock. Both Sayora and Sawaki sweat dropped nervously.

"No… w-wait…" Sawaki stammered. "That… that wasn't what it sounded like… it… it just came out a bit wrong…"

His friends shot sly smiles at him. "Grabbing her Mobaro?" one of them asked. "I mean… you two may be going out but c'mon… isn't grabbing her a bit off limits on school grounds?"

The other guys laughed.

"I said it's not like that!" Sawaki denied. "I was just grabbing her arm! That was it!"

"Grabbing her arm?" His friends looked at each other, then back at him. "Dragging her off somewhere?"

"Forcing her against her will?" another teased.

"Guys! C'mon, that's not cool!" Sawaki whined.

His friends just laughed again. "Alright, alright. Let's leave him alone. We've had our fun."

"Don't worry Sayora-chan," one of Sawaki's friend said. "You're safe with Mobaro. Believe it or not, he's a good guy!"

"Hey! What do you mean _'believe it or not'_?!" Sawaki shouted as his group of friends continued on their way, laughing.

"Don't worry, Sawaki's girlfriend! He wouldn't try anything on you! Really!" one of his friends shouted.

"Wha?! Why you!!" Sawaki exclaimed as his friends took off running.

"Cya Mobaro!"

"What assholes!" Sawaki muttered with a vein on his head.

"I swear… they're all influenced by Kakeru…" Sayora said.

"It's not Manabe's influence," he replied as the two continued on their way to Kakeru's classroom. "They're just retarded."

"Hey Sawaki, I've been wondering…"

"Yeah?"

"How come everyone keeps calling me your girlfriend?" Sayora asked.

"Oh, that? They're just teasing me," he answered.

"Oh… well maybe you should tell them to stop," she suggested. "I mean, if I were Kimi—"

"You worry too much Sayora," Sawaki interrupted as they arrived at Kakeru's class. They looked into the room, but it was empty. "Damn, where did he go?"

"Looks like he already left," Sayora replied.

"Maybe he's with that YunYun guy…" Sawaki thought out loud.

Sayora sweat dropped as they both went back the way they came. _Kakeru's influence is indeed strong…_ she thought to herself.

"Ah! Sawa-chan!" a cheerful voice happily greeted him.

"Huh?" Sawaki turned around and almost fell backwards when Kimi ran and hugged him. "Hey! Kimi-chan!" he replied with a smile, putting one arm around her.

"Hi YonYon!" Kimi said loudly.

"Hey," Sayora replied with a small wave.

"Hey Kimi-chan, have you seen Manabe?" he asked.

"Oh, he went to the courtyard! Kimi was about to go there too!"

"Great!" he replied. "Do me a favor and take Sayora with you."

"Hey, wait a minute," Sayora began to say.

"Sawa-chan isn't coming?" Kimi asked.

"No, no, I'm going," he said as he began to walk the other way. "I've just got some guy stuff to take care of, that's all."

"Oh, then Kimi will help Sawa-chan take care of his guy stuff with him!" she offered enthusiastically.

Both Sayora and Sawaki sweat dropped.

"I'll take her with me," Sayora said, dragging Kimi down the hall with her.

"Yeah… you do that…" he replied.

"No!" she yelled, causing Sawaki to flinch, but the two girls didn't notice. "Kimi wants to go with Sawa-chan!"

"Listen," Sayora whispered in her ear. "He probably has a surprise for you. That's why he doesn't want you to go with him."

A huge smile grew on Kimi's face. "Kimi will go to the courtyard with YonYon!" she said, waving goodbye to Sawaki.

"I won't be long!" he promised with an assuring smile. After the two girls were out of sight, his smile faded away. He gazed ahead of him absentmindedly. The voice from earlier echoed in his head.

"_**NO!!!"**_

_When I was about to catch Sayora, it was definitely Asaru's voice that stopped me…_ he thought as he entered the bathroom and stopped at the sink, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. Memories of her came rushing back to him. His eyes widened in shock when his reflection suddenly disappeared and Asaru's lifeless, blood-soaked body appeared in its place. He was so shocked that he was frozen speechless. He could feel his sweat starting to break out. Then, Asaru's image disappeared and another one took its place. This time, it was his younger self. The younger Sawaki glared at Sawaki in pure anger and hate.

"Why didn't you protect her?!" the younger Sawaki demanded to know. "She was the most important thing in the world to you!!"

Sawaki could feel his shirt becoming moist from his sweat, irritatingly sticking to his skin. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face as he stood there trembling, staring at his younger self in the mirror.

"She was so scared of being left alone!!" the younger Sawaki continued to shout. "You're so pathetic you make me sick!! Why did you let her go?!! **Why didn't you protect her?!!!"**

"**SHUT UP!!!!"** Sawaki screamed as he slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering it to pieces. He stood there breathing heavily, trying to calm himself down. Sawaki was so shaken up that he didn't even notice the side of his right hand was badly cut up and the blood was beginning to trickle down past his wrist. _Asaru…_ he thought as a single tear drop made its way down his cheek. His right hand dropped to his side as he slowly walked out of the bathroom, blood dripping on the floor.

Kyo was on his way back to the classroom to get something when he happened to see Sawaki. He was planning on ignoring him but became alarmed after seeing the blood dripping down Sawaki's hand.

"H-hey!" Kyo called, running up to him to see if he was okay. However, Sawaki didn't seem to hear him. "Hey! What happened?!" he asked. When Sawaki still didn't reply, Kyo grabbed him on his shoulder and turned him around to face him. "Ah…" he trailed off, not knowing what to say. Sawaki looked like a complete mess.

"What?" Sawaki asked solemnly.

"Y-your hand… are you okay?" he asked, still surprised.

Sawaki's eyes roamed to his right hand which he held up slightly.

"It's bleeding a lot!" Kyo said worriedly. "Hold on, I'll get the nurse!"

"You…" Sawaki said, stopping Kyo. "Who do you like…?"

"What?"

"I said Honda or Sayora… who do you like?"

"Th-that's none of your business!"

"Answer me!!" Sawaki shouted as his bloody hand shot out and grabbed Kyo by his shirt, startling him.

"Hey! What the hell is your problem?!" Kyo asked, trying to pull Sawaki's hand off of him. "I said it's none of your business!!"

"Bullshit!! You have no idea what Sayora means to me!! I won't let you keep hurting her!!"

"Why does it matter to you who I like?!" Kyo shouted. "Why do you care so much about whether I like her or not?!"

Sawaki stopped, letting go of Kyo's shirt. He seemed to have calmed down, so Kyo calmed himself down as well.

"Could it be… could it be that you like them _both_?" Sawaki asked, staring at Kyo. From Kyo's surprised reaction, he assumed that he was right. Sawaki could feel the fire building up inside of him again, burning stronger than the last time. "You goddamn piece of shit!!!" Sawaki yelled as he flew into another rage, catching Kyo off guard with a hard punch to his face.

"Why you—!!"

Sawaki pushed Kyo against the wall. The two struggled against each other as Sawaki continued to yell at Kyo.

"Are you some kind of player or something?! Do you think you can just lead them both on so that when you screw up with one of them, you've got the other for backup?!!! Don't think that you can trick them forever you son of a bitch?!!"

Kyo had had enough.

"Would you **shut the hell up?!!**" Kyo shouted, knocking Sawaki to the ground with a punch. It was _his_ turn to be angry. "What the hell makes you think you have the right to go around judging people?! You don't know the first goddamn thing about me so don't think up ideas about who I am and assume that it's true!!"

Sawaki didn't reply and the two became silent. Sawaki didn't move from his seat on the floor. Kyo stared at Sawaki cautiously, ready to counter him incase he decided to suddenly attack him again.

"I…" Sawaki said, his voice _barely_ above a whisper. There was another long period of silence. "I'm sorry…" With his left hand, he held his head as if it were in pain. He head up his right hand a little and stared at it. It was still bleeding. "I don't know what's wrong with me…"

"Oh my," came a calm voice. The two boys looked in the direction of the voice and found Hanajima walking toward them. "So the two waves I felt clashing against each other came from _you_ two."

From the other direction, Kyo could here Tohru's voice approaching. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Tohru turned the corner along with Uo and Yuki. The three abruptly stopped with they saw Sawaki on the ground with blood all over his right hand and blood on Kyo's shirt.

"O-oh my god! Mobaro-san! Kyo-kun!" Tohru cried worriedly as she rushed to them. "Are you okay?!"

Uo and Yuki exchanged a quick. Yuki saw the trail of blood leading to the bathroom and decided to take a peak inside.

"Hey! What happened?" Uo asked Sawaki, then turned to look at Kyo accusingly. "What the hell did you do?!"

"What?! I didn't do anything!!" Kyo denied.

"Yeah right!"

"I didn't!!"

"Hey, hey, calm down," Sawaki said. "He didn't do anything. He was just trying to help."

Yuki walked out of the bathroom. "Honda-san," he said, "could you please go get the nurse?"

"Yes!" Tohru replied as she hurried down the hall. Within a couple minutes, she had reached the school's clinic. "Excuse me!" she yelled as she quickly entered. "Ah…" Tohru looked around but couldn't find anyone there. "Excuse me!" she called again. _Oh no…_ she thought, becoming nervous. _W-what should I do?!_

"Honda?"

Tohru turned around to find her homeroom teacher.

"Is there something wrong?" Mayuko asked.

"It's terrible!!" Tohru cried worriedly. "Mobaro-san… Mobaro-san is bleeding badly!"

She immediately had her teacher's attention.

"Where is he?" Mayuko asked.

"Outside the bathroom by the biology labs upstairs!" Tohru replied.

"Got it! Honda, go check the teacher's lounge to see if the nurse is there!" Mayuko said as she rushed to Sawaki.

"Okay!" Tohru ran in the opposite direction only to run into Sayora and Kimi seconds later. "Sayora-san!"

"Tohru," Sayora replied, noticing the anxious look on her friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"Is she running a marathon around the school?" Kimi joked.

"It's Mobaro-san!" she said.

Kimi's usual cheerful attitude suddenly disappeared as a worried one took its place.

"Sawa-chan…?" Kimi repeated.

-----Few Moments Later-----

"Well, the bleeding's finally stopped, but your hand is still cut pretty badly," the nurse said as she finished bandaging up Sawaki's hand. "Try to avoid using your right hand for a while and let it heal up. It should be good as new in two or three days."

"Thank you," Sawaki replied with a sheepish smile.

"You lost a lot of blood so you might as well take fifth period off and rest here," the nurse suggested. "I'll go down to the cafeteria and bring some food back. You need to get back some lost nutrition so that you don't faint or pass out later."

"Sorry for the trouble," he apologized as the nurse left.

"Mobaro," Mayuko said. "See me in the teacher's faculty after school is over."

"Yes ma'am…" he replied.

She glanced at him one more time before leaving the room. _Mobaro isn't the type to lose his cool like that…_ Mayuko thought, feeling uneasy. "Souma," she said as she walked by Sayora. "I'll excuse you to class but don't be too long."

"Okay," Sayora replied, watching her teacher return to class. "Hey Kimi, why don't you go ahead and see him?"

"YonYon isn't seeing Sawa-chan?" Kimi asked.

"I'll see him later," she replied. "Besides, I think Sawaki would want to see you more than me right now," she said with an encouraging smile. "I'll wait for you."

"Okay!" Kimi returned her smile and went in. "Sawa-chan!" she called cheerfully.

Sawaki looked up. "Kimi-cha—ahh!" He nearly fell off the bed he was sitting on when Kimi suddenly hugged him. "K-Kimi! Let go! You're strangling me!" he said as he struggled to sit back up again.

"Kimi was… really worried…" she said quietly, embracing him more lightly.

"Ah… h-hey! C'mon! Don't get all depressed in me," he replied, feeling bad for making her worry.

"Why did Sawa-chan hurt his own hand?" Kimi asked, looking him in the eye. Sawaki didn't reply. "Sawa-chan is a calm person… so why did Sawa-chan do that?"

Sawaki looked down and avoided Kimi's eyes. She didn't know about Asaru… and he had no reason to tell her about it either. "It wasn't on purpose," he replied, choosing his words carefully. "I slipped and almost fell, and my hand smashed into the mirror by accident." He finally looked up at Kimi. She continued to stare into his eyes.

"Oh, was that it?!" she asked cheerfully. "Why didn't you say so?"

Sawaki put on a smile. "It was pretty stupid of me, wasn't it?" he replied with a laugh. "Anyway, you should hurry back to class Kimi-chan. Aren't you late?"

"Kimi came to see Sawa-chan, so it's okay!" she replied.

"Well go back to class anyway!" Sawaki said. "How am I supposed to rest with you being so loud?"

Kimi laughed. "Kimi will come to pick Sawa-chan up after school!"

"Okay."

She waved to him before going out the door.

"Are you done?" Sayora asked.

Kimi nodded with her usual smile. "But… maybe YonYon should go and see Sawa-chan right now too…" she said, trying to hide her sad expression. "Sawa-chan won't talk to Kimi about anything… so maybe if it's YonYon…"

Sayora looked at Kimi surprised. She had never seen the serious side of Kimi before. She had always been optimistic and cheerful about everything.

"Kimi?" Sayora called when she began to walk away. "Where are you going?"

"Back to class!" she said as she turned around for a second, back to her normal self. But to Sayora, the smile that was just shown to her seemed so sad and lonely.

Sayora sighed. She might as well go see him right now.

As the door to the clinic opened once again, Sawaki looked up.

"Ah, Sayora!" he said as she walked up to him. "I thought you had to go back to cl—!!"

He was slapped across the face. It took him a while to register what happened.

"Sa… Sayora…?" He looked up at her with a stunned and shocked reaction.

"You started that fight with Kyo, didn't you?" she asked.

"Are you supposed to slap people before asking them questions?"

"It's cause I'm really pissed."

"And what if I told you that it wasn't me who started that fight?" he asked.

"How stupid do you think I am? He has no reason to pick a fight with you anymore."

"Even if I said something to provoke him?"

Sayora looked at him without saying anything. Was he just joking? It was definitely a possibility that he said something to make Kyo mad. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time.

"What did you…" she trialed off.

"I think I said something along the lines of… _'Sayora said she was sick and tired of waiting for you'_," Sawaki said. "And then I said something like _'she said if you aren't going to forgive her, then she won't forgive you anymore either.'_"

Sayora looked at him in shock. Her hand was raised for a second strike, but right when her had was about to connect, Sawaki stopped it.

"I was lying," he replied calmly, staring into her eyes. "You know, you never used to be so aggressive. I never imagined you to be the type of person who would resort to slapping to solve all your problems."

Sayora frowned. "Why are you doing this?!" she snapped. "Are you testing me or something?! Is this a game to you?! Is mocking me that much fun?!!"

"Are you done?" Sawaki asked when Sayora didn't continue yelling at him.

She tried to suppress her anger. "You know Sawaki, you never used to be such an asshole!" she retorted.

Sawaki watched as Sayora angrily turned to leave. She was almost halfway to the door when she was suddenly pulled back by her arm. Sayora blushed.

"Sa… Sawaki!" she said in shock as she looked down at him. He was holding onto both of her hands, his head resting on her stomach. "W-what're you doing?" she asked, still shocked. Sawaki didn't reply. "Hey, Sawaki! Snap out of it! If someone sees us, they're gonna misunderstand!" Sayora tugged her hands against Sawaki's hold a bit.

"I can't… let her go…" he said quietly. "Sayora… I can't move on…"

Sayora didn't know what to say. "Sawaki…"

"I love Kimi… I love her a lot… but every time I think that, in the back of my mind, I can't help but also think that the love I have for her will never compare to the love I had to Asaru… and I hate it! I don't want to compare them like that! I want Asaru to be the most important person to me… but I don't want to think of Kimi as anything less important either."

Sayora understood the turmoil that Sawaki was confronted with.

"In my opinion…" Sayora said. "… I think that it's equally painful to hold onto someone as it is to let go. It takes a lot of strength to do both. Sometimes, holding on makes you feel like you're being crushed, and letting go… you might regret it for the rest of your life. But you have to realize that if holding onto something keeps you from moving forward, then maybe… it's better to let go." Sawaki listened to Sayora's words, feeling as if they had just brought him to a realization. She spoke with such a strong and unwavering, but at the same time, gentle voice. "There's nothing we can do about the dead. No matter how much we want to, we can't bring Asaru back. It's your choice whether you want to be frozen in the past with her, or to move on together with Kimi… as for who's more important… I think that the most important person should be the person who's standing by your side… the person you can protect _right now_…"

-----Back in Class-----

Mayuko looked up at the clock. _Souma's been gone a long time… fifth is already halfway through…_ she thought. "Souma!" Mayuko called. Both Kyo and Yuki looked up and she sweat dropped. "Yuki," she clarified.

Yuki stood up. "Yes?" he asked.

"Go down to the clinic and bring Sayora back already," she said.

"Yes," he replied, leaving the room.

"Tell her that she can't get out of class just because her friend's busted up!" she added.

-----Sayora-----

She had left the clinic and began her walk back to class. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling as she walked.

"_Have you already let go of Asaru?" Sawaki asked. "Have you already moved on..? Am I the only one still living in the past then…?_

Sayora sighed again, looking straight ahead again. _I'm really unfair…_ she thought._ …Telling him to let go when I'm unable to let go __**myself**__…_

"Ah, Sayora," Yuki said, abruptly pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yuki," she replied. "What're you doing? Aren't you supposed to be in class right now? Are you skipping or something?"

He laughed. "No, no, I'm not cutting class," he replied. "The teacher sent me down here to get you."

"To get me?" she repeated. "Was I gone that long?"

"Fifth period is halfway done," he answered.

"Oh, I hadn't realized I was gone for so long," she said. "Sorry you had to come down all this way just to get me."

"It's not a problem," he assured her. "So… how's Mobaro-san?"

"He's… okay…" she replied slowly.

"What happened? Did that stupid cat pick a fight with him again?"

"No, no… it wasn't his fault at all," she replied. "Sawaki was the one who started that fight."

"Eh? Mobaro-san?" Yuki asked, obviously surprised. "But why?"

"Because of me… it's… _my _fault…"

Yuki stopped and looked at her. "Sayora…?"

"He think's it's his fault that Asaru died… he blames himself for not being able to protect her when the one who's really responsible for her death was _me_…"

"Sayora… you can't just blame yourself like that," he said. "It wasn't your fault either. It was no one's fault."

"How can you say that?" she asked. "You were right there Yuki! You saw everything!"

The mere thought of Sayora that day sent a shiver through Yuki's body.

"B-but that wasn't even you—"

"So then I should just blame it on the curse?" she asked.

Yuki became quiet as the two continued on their way back to class. He glanced at Sayora out of the corner of his eyes. He had been wanting to talk to her about something for a while now, but after the conversation they just had, he felt that asking her now would be a bad idea. He debated against whether to talk to her now or to wait until later. Finally, he decided that he didn't want to put it off until later.

"Sayora…" he said.

"What?"

He took his time before asking his question.

"How… how long are you and Kyo going to go on like this?"

"What do you mean _'go on like this'_?" she asked, trying to avoid his question.

"How long are you two going to keep facing each other without acknowledging your feelings for each other?" he asked bluntly since Sayora refused to answer him when he indirectly asked her.

"Isn't that none of your business?" she asked, getting irritated.

"As your cousin, I have every right to ask you that and to make it my business," he said firmly, startling Sayora.

"That's not fair…" she replied. There was nothing she could say to change the subject after what Yuki had said. Sayora sighed and looked away. "Look… it doesn't matter what I think about Kyo," she said. "As long as Tohru's standing in front of him, he won't look at anyone else."

"Sayora…_ you're_ the one who's unfair," Yuki replied.

"Ah! I'm not saying I'm mad at Tohru or anything like that!" she quickly said, not wanting Yuki to misunderstand. "I'm no match for someone like Tohru. I'm fully aware of that and it's fine with me. It's not like I was…" she trailed off. "…hoping for Kyo to like me instead…"

"Sayora…"

She quickly snapped out of it. "Don't get the wrong idea! I'm not trying to steal him away from Tohru! I mean, I don't even like Kyo like that!"

"When I said that you were unfair, I wasn't talking about to Honda-san," he clarified. "The one you're being unfair to is _Kyo_."

"What?" Sayora asked. "What do you mean _I'm_ the one who's unfair?!"

"Why are you getting mad?"

"Because!" she yelled. "Why am _I_ the one who's unfair when I'm the only one trying the close the distance between us?! I've apologized to him! I've already admitted that I was wrong and I've even asked him to give me another chance! But all he did was say okay and avoid me!! I'm the one making all the effort, but I can't close the distance by myself! We have to at least meet halfway!"

"Maybe Kyo is maintaining that distance with you because he's unsure."

"Unsure?" Sayora repeated. "Unsure about what?! There's nothing for him to be unsure about in the first place!"

"What about his feelings for you?" Yuki asked.

Sayora let out a laugh. "Ha! What feelings?! You think he would actually _feel_ anything for _me_?!"

"How do you expect him not to be confused when in your mind, you've already decided on the relationship between you two regardless of what he may think or feel? He may want to think of you as someone special, but you've already decided that you two are nothing more than two people who happened to meet and become friends."

"Because that's all there is to it! What more is there to expect?! Don't tell me that _you_, one of the Jyuunishi, think that we're allowed the privilege of—"

"The privilege of what?!" Yuki asked, cutting her off. "The privilege of loving someone? Having someone you want to be with? What makes you think that something like that is a privilege?!"

"What would _you_ know?!" Sayora shouted. "I'm the _wolf_! You were born as the lucky little rat! Nobody gives a shit about what you do!!" For the first time in his life, Yuki felt like beating the shit out of a girl. "You don't know what it's like for me!! If I go against the curse, it's all over for me!!"

"Isn't _that_ convenient?" Yuki asked, his voice cold and full of anger. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that _you're_ the lucky one, being born as the wolf. You can just blame everything on the curse. You never have to take responsibility for anything you do! You can get away with anything as long as you pretend to be the victim and blame it on the curse!"

Sayora felt as if she had been slapped across the face by what Yuki had said. "I guess even _that's_ better than a rat who has everything and complains about having nothing…" she replied, looking away from him. "You're _'God's best friend._' You get everything you want, but you still pretend to be one of _us_. I bet you're laughing your ass off at the sight of us lower members under that high and mighty exterior of yours… aren't you?"

It took Yuki everything he had not to beat Sayora's face in. He had never been so angry at anyone for saying something before in his whole life.

"So this is what I get for trying to help you," he said. "In that case, do whatever you want. It was a waste of effort on my part."

Yuki quickly left before his anger could get the best of him, but he didn't get far before one of their classmates stopped him.

"Ah! There you guys are!" he said. "The next class has already started! Sensei's really mad!"

"Sorry," Yuki said. "I'm going back right now."

"Me too," Sayora replied.

"Ah… Yuki! Sayora-san! Wait!" their classmate called after them after the two abruptly left, neither speaking nor looking at each other.

-----Couple Minutes Later in Class-----

Yuki and Sayora stood before their teacher at the front of the classroom.

"Just what the hell were you two doing?!" Mayuko asked through her teeth with a vein popping out of her head. "Sayora! Do you have any idea how long you were gone for?! I gave you permission to be late to fifth! Not to skip it!!" She turned to Yuki next. "And you! How long does it take to find someone and bring them back to class?! You were gone for almost twenty-five minutes!!"

The class watched silently in surprise. For the first time, Yuki was _actually _in trouble with the teacher.

"You both have detention after school!!" Mayuko shouted.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the classroom. No one said anything. Suddenly, the silence was broken when the door quietly slid open. Mayuko looked over at Sawaki who seemed surprised by the silence of the class.

"Umm… the… the nurse said that I could come back to class… so…" he trailed off awkwardly.

Mayuko moodily grabbed the workbook off her desk.

"I'm starting class. Back to your seats," she ordered them.

-----Couple Hours Later-----

_Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!_

After what felt like eternity, the bell signaling the end of school had finally rang. Mayuko stood at her desk as the class walked out.

"Mobaro," she said as he walked by her, "don't forget to meet me in the faculty room."

"Yes ma'am…" he replied as he left.

"Yuki, Sayora," Mayuko called as they walked by. "Sorry for yelling at you two in front of the class like that… Yuki, forget about the detention and go home, okay?"

"Um…"

"_You_ still have detention for skipping most of my class," she interrupted Sayora. "Clean all the desks and move all of the textbooks we used today to the storage room upstairs. You can go home after you're done."

"Yes ma'am…" Sayora replied, too tired to argue or talk back.

With that, Mayuko gathered the rest of her teaching books and supplies and walked out of the room.

"Hey, Yuki," Sayora said, looking at him. However, Yuki ignored her and continued down the hall by himself. "Hey!" she called, pulling him back to face her after she ran and caught up with him. "Yuki! Will you just listen to me?!"

"Why?" Yuki asked in a mocking tone. "Why should I listen to what a 'lower member' has to say to me? You're just going to blame something on the curse again, right?" The angry look in his eyes stopped Sayora from saying anything, and before she had the chance to, he left.

"Yuki…" she said to herself sadly.

"Ah! It's YonYon!" rang Kimi's voice. "Where's Sawa-chan? Isn't he with YonYon?"

"Oh, Kimi… actually, he's—"

"Sayora-chan!" someone suddenly called. She turned around to see two of Sawaki's friends.

The other one suddenly got in her face. "Hey, hey! Tell me! What happened to Sawaki?" he asked.

Sayora frowned in response. "Why are you asking _me_?"

"Cause! Who else would we ask?" the other guy said. "You and Mobaro are always together, so you've gotta know what's up with him!"

"Well I don't. Go ask someone else." She turned to leave but what one of them said stopped her dead in her tracks.

"C'mon! Don't be like that! You're the one who would know best. You're like his girlfriend!"

The first thing that came to Sayora's mind was Kimi, who was standing right next to her.

"I'm not Sawaki's girlfriend!" she shouted in pure anger, startling everyone. "Stop trying to put us together!!"

"S-sorry, sorry," he quickly apologized to her. "Don't get so mad, Sayora-chan. Even Mobaro doesn't get angry at me for saying stuff like that…"

That was when his friend noticed the girl next to Sayora. "Ah! T-Toudou-san!"

Kimi threw on a smile and waved to him. "Hi!" she greeted in a cheerful voice.

"Uh… sorry for bothering you guys. And sorry for what he said," he replied as he grabbed his friend and dragged him away. "Well, we've gotta go so see you guys tomorrow!"

"Hey, hey! What're you doing?" the other guy asked when the girls were out of sight.

"You idiot!" his friend scolded. "That girl next to Sayora was Toudou-san!"

"So?"

"She's Sawaki's girlfriend!"

"What?!" he asked in shock. "N-no way…"

-----Few Moments Later-----

Machi was helping Yuki straighten out some papers in the student council office. Yuki absentmindedly picked up a folder and put it in a random pile.

"Ah, that folder goes in _this_ pile," Machi told him.

Yuki frowned. "Well sorry!" he shouted angrily, then sweat dropped at the startled Machi. "Uh… I mean… sorry…" he said, actually meaning it this time as he put the folder in the correct pile. After a few more minutes, they finished. "Well… thanks a lot for the help," Yuki said as they left the room. "Be careful on your way home."

Machi simply nodded in response and left. Under normal circumstances, he would've spent more time with her and maybe even have walked her home, but he had too many other things on his mind. He was _still_ angry with Sayora. He had intended to help her, but what he got in return was like a big fat kick to the face.

"Yuki," a familiar voice called. He turned around to find Haru. "Staying after school for something?"

"I had to finish some council work," Yuki answered. "What about you?"

"Running errands for the teacher," he replied, noticing that Yuki's voice sounded strained. "What's wrong?"

Yuki seemed surprised that Haru could tell he was aggravated. He sighed. "Sayora and I got into an argument."

"What?" It was Haru's turn to be surprised. "_You_ and _Sayora_? What about?"

"Nothing. It was really stupid," he replied.

"For something that was 'really stupid,' you sure seemed annoyed by it."

Yuki looked at Haru, then sighed again.

-----Meanwhile—Teacher Faculty-----

"Alright Mobaro, spill it," Mayuko said, her hands on her hips. "What happened back there?"

"Nothing," he replied, almost in a cheerful tone as if trying to brush it off. "I just slipped, and my hand smashed into the mirror when I tried top catch myself."

His teacher stared at him, not buying the story. "What about all that blood on Kyo's shirt?"

"He was just trying to help me," Sawaki answered right away.

Mayuko was becoming irritated with his poorly fabricated responses. "Enough with the lies, Mobaro!! I know a troubled kid when I see one!" she shouted, loosing her cool. "Now tell me what the hell happened back there because you're not leaving this room until you do!!"

Sawaki stared at his teacher, shocked by her unusual behavior. The firm look in her eyes told him to take her seriously this time, but despite that, there was no way he would tell anyone what had really happened. He looked away from his teacher. No one other than Sayora. There was no one else he could trust…no one else who would understand…

"Are you going to tell me… or do I need to get it out of Sayora instead?" Mayuko asked.

Sawaki flinched and looked up at his teacher with eyes wide in shock. "S-Sensei!" he said in disbelief. He almost sounded like he was pleading her not to.

"I have Sayora on detention. You have ten seconds to start talking before I go down and get her," she threatened.

"Se-Sensei! That's not funny!"

"Do I look like I'm playing, Mobaro?"

Sawaki frowned and stood up angrily, nearly knocking over the chair he was sitting on. "What're you dragging her into this for?! She doesn't know anything!!" he shouted. _I can't keep letting Sayora get involved in my problems… she has enough problems of her own to deal with!_

"With that kind of a reaction, do you expect me to believe you?"

"Sen—"

"Sit down!" Mayuko ordered, cutting him off.

Sawaki stared at his teacher, still frowning. After a while, he relaxed his clenched fists and took a deep breath, calming himself down before doing as he was asked to.

Mayuko let out a defeated and tired sounding sigh as she leaned against the desk behind her. "Kids these days have too much of a backbone. You all think you have to do everything by yourselves… but you can't make it in this world all alone… eventually, you're going to need to ask for help."

"I know that…" Sawaki replied. "So… when I'm ready to ask for it, I will. It's just that… right now, it's important for me to find my answers on my own."

Hearing the firm resolve in his voice, Mayuko wondered why she tried so hard to force an answer out of him in the first place. "Fine, I'll let you go this time," she said, "but if you go breaking mirrors again, you'd better be ready to tell me everything."

"I know," he smiled thankfully.

"If you understand, then go hom—ah! Mobaro!" Mayuko happened to notice the blood-stained bandages on his hand. "Your hand is still bleeding?!"

"Huh?" Sawaki held up his hand and looked at it. "It doesn't _feel_ like its bleeding… it's probably just the blood from earlier…"

-----Few Minutes Later-----

Sawaki was on his way back to the class where he had agreed to meet Kimi only to find that no one was there. _Must've went home already,_ he thought. Sawaki began to head home himself when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand. He looked at the bandages as they got their second coating of blood on them. _Shit… it didn't stop after all…_ _guess I should go change the bandages… _As he turned the corner, right before he reached the nurse's office, he bumped into Tohru.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

"Eh? Honda-chan…"

"Ah, Mobaro-san!" she replied with a smile as she looked up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his mind slipping off into a daze.

"Oh, yes! I'm perfectly fine! Please don't worry about it! I was the one who wasn't watching where I was going! Besides… … …"

Tohru's voice began to fade away as his own thoughts took over his mind.

"_Honda or Sayora… who do you like?"_

"_Th-that's none of your business!"_

_What was I thinking…?_

"_Answer me!!"_

"_I said it's none of your business!!"_

_Seriously… what's wrong with me?_ Sawaki asked himself. _Even _I_ don't like it when people poke their noses into my business all of a sudden… so why am I—_

"…ro-san!"

"Huh?" Sawaki found himself staring at a concerned Tohru.

"Do you not feel well, Mobaro-san?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh, uh…"

"Should I go find the nurse for you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," he assured her with a smile. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Oh, I see," Tohru replied, sounding relieved. "Well then, I'm going to head home. See you tomorrow Mobaro-san!"

"Yeah… _'see you tomorrow…'_" Sawaki repeated as he watched her leave. "Actually, Honda-chan… I lied."

"Eh?" She stopped and turned to look at him.

"My hand hurts _really really_ bad," he deliberately exaggerated. "And see… I'm no good at wrapping bandages, and since the nurse isn't here, I'm in a bit of a bind. You'll help me, right?"

Tohru looked confused. "O-of course…"

-----In the Nurses Office-----

Sawaki sat on one of the beds as Tohru looked around for the bandages.

"Hey… Honda-chan," Sawaki said as he undid the blood-soaked bandages around his hand. "You live with the Soumas, right?"

"That's right!" she answered happily.

"How come?"

"Actually, it's a very long and complicated story," she replied with a sheepish laugh.

"I see…" Sawaki didn't push for an answer. "It sounds like you've been living with them for a while."

"Yes, since last year." Tohru opened one of the drawers. "Almost _two_ years now actually," she corrected herself, opening another drawer, finally finding what she was looking for.

"Two years, huh?" Sawaki repeated as Tohru began wrapping his hand. "That's a pretty long time. You must know everything about them by _now_."

"Oh, no," Tohru denied. "Nothing of that sort."

"Not even about Sayora and Kyo?" he asked as he looked at her with piercing eyes, the tone of his voice changing. Sawaki could feel Tohru's hand flinch a bit. She could feel him staring at her.

"W-what do you mean?"

Sawaki continued to stare at her with his piercing eyes as Tohru kept her eyes focused on the hand she was treating. Then suddenly, he put on a gentle, carefree smile. "Nothing," he replied. "I just assumed that you would know everything about them since you live with them and all. "

"O-oh…"

_Don't do it_, Sawaki warned himself. _You know that she's a fragile person…_ "Honda-chan…" he said as she finished wrapping his hand.

"Hm?" She looked at him questioningly.

"I want to ask you something…" _What am I doing?_ "…and I want you to give me an honest, straightforward answer…"Sawaki couldn't stop himself and he knew it._ I'm the worst…_ "Do you love Kyo?"

Tohru froze. She was stunned and taken back by the sudden and unexpected question.

"It's a simple question," he said. "Do you love him or not?"

Tohru looked down and shifted nervously and uncomfortably. "I… …"All of her thoughts were overtaken by Kyo… all except one. She could feel that one tiny thought in the back of her mind growing larger and lager…_ Mom…_ she thought.

"Well?" Sawaki asked.

"I… I don't know…"

"You _'don't know'_?" he repeated with a slight frown. "Are you _that_ uncertain about your own feelings?"

"W… well… that…" Tohru couldn't get her thoughts straight.

"Are you so confused that you can't tell friendship apart from love?"

"…I …"

"_Tohru!" _She could hear her mom calling for her. _"Don't leave me behind!" _

_Mom…_

"_You can't love him! If you do, you'll forget about me and I'll disappear!" _Kyoko pleaded desperately.

Tears were coming out of Tohru's eyes, surprising Sawaki.

"_YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!!!!" _Kyoko screamed.

Tohru looked down, rivers flowing down her face.

"H-Honda-chan…"

"I don't know," she sobbed. "Mom!" _I can't abandon her!_ "I won't leave her behind…" Tohru felt a gentle hand brushing away her tears.

"I'm sorry, Honda-chan," Sawaki apologized with a gentle, sympathetic smile. She allowed him to wipe away the rest of her tears as she calmed down. "I kind of pushed you, didn't I?" After she completely calmed down, Sawaki headed out of the clinic. "C'mon," he said, waiting for Tohru at the door. "I'll walk you home."

-----Meanwhile-----

Haru stood outside the school's front gate, leaning against the wall and staring up at the clouds. He suddenly heard footsteps coming toward and gate and looked sideways, finally seeing the person he was waiting for.

"Sayora," he called, stopping her.

"Haru," she said, sounding surprised as she turned to face him. "What're you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," he simply answered. "Let's walk home together today."

"Uh… sure…"

-----About Fifteen Minutes Later-----

During the entire walk home, Haru kept glancing at Sayora while holding a casual conversation with her. When they reached the Main House, Haru went through the gate while Sayora began to head home. "Sayora," Haru said, stopping her. He couldn't resist asking. "Are you okay?"

"What?" she looked at him questioningly.

"I heard from Yuki."

"Oh, was _that_ why you were waiting for me?" she asked, laughing lightly. "It was just a detention. It's not a big deal."

"I meant about your argument," he stated bluntly.

"Oh…" she trailed off.

"He was really mad," he told her. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing," she mumbled, looking away.

"Yuki said something about the curse and how you said he was _'high and mighty.'_" Haru spoke to her with a calm tone. "You know, you really shouldn't say things like that to him."

"It's none of your business Haru!" she replied as she looked up at him with a frown. Seeing the surprised reaction on Haru's face, she realized how harsh her comment sounded.

"I see…" he said quietly, turning to go into the Main House.

"No, Haru. Wait!" Sayora pleaded apologetically as she went after him. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"**It's fine,"** he said in a loud, stern voice, cutting her off. "Just go home."

Sayora watched Haru leave, feeling guilty about upsetting him. With nothing she could do, she went home as Haru told her to.

Akito had witnessed the whole incident from the window of the room he happened to be in, smirking as if satisfied with the scene he had just seen…

-----Few Moments Later-----

"I'm home," Sayora announced as she walked through the front door.

"Welcome back!" Shigure shouted from the living room.

Sayora was on complete autopilot as she put her shoes away and walked into the kitchen, expecting to find Tohru.

"She's not back yet," Kyo said from behind her as he walked into the kitchen and went to the refrigerator to grab some milk.

"Oh." Sayora turned around and headed toward the stairs.

"Sayora-chan, I think I left my glasses upstairs in my room," Shigure said as she walked by the living room. "Can you bring it for me on your way down?"

"Yeah."

Kyo watched a bit worriedly as she walked by, feeling that she wasn't herself.

As she went up the stairs, she happened to run into Yuki who was on his way down. For the first time, she pulled out of her trance and looked at him. She opened her mouth to say something but didn't get the chance to because Yuki completely ignored her and proceeded down the stairs. Sayora was surprised by his behavior, but she couldn't blame him for it.

_I really hate myself right now…_ she thought as she went into her room, closing the door behind her. She threw her schoolbag on her desk and dropped herself on the bed, feeling exhausted. _I wonder if things can ever go back to the way they were._ Sayora stared at the white ceiling above her, thinking back on all the things that had happened earlier that day: Shigure's upsetting comment, the awkward tension between her and Kyo, and upset side of Kimi she had never seen before, the incident with Sawaki and his talk with her, her argument with Yuki… she had even managed to upset _Haru_, and Haru was _never_ mad at her. She sighed and got up, looking at the window. Her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. Then, they narrowed in suspicion. It was Tohru and Sawaki at the front yard.

"Thank you for walking me home," Tohru thanked, bowing politely.

"No problem. Besides, what kind of guy would I be if I'd let a cute girl like you walk home all by yourself?" he asked playfully, a light blush of embarrassment appearing on Tohru's face. Sawaki smiled, amused by her modesty, but inside, he couldn't help but feel bad. "Hey, Honda-chan," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry about what I said today. Just forget about it, okay?"

"Please, don't worry about it," she assured with a smile. "Thank you again for walking me home Mobaro-san."

"Yeah… see you tomorrow then, Honda-chan," he replied as she went into the house. As he turned to leave, he instinctively looked up and saw Sayora staring down at him from the window of her room. He opened his mouth to call her name, but before he could make the slightest sound, she turned away and closed the blinds. Sawaki was left standing there confused, wondering about her cold behavior towards him.

Meanwhile, as Tohru entered the house, she was greeted by Yuki with a warm smile.

"I'm back!" she said cheerfully.

"Welcome home, Honda-san," Yuki replied.

"Ah, Tohru-kun, is that you?" Shigure asked from the living room.

"Yes!" Tohru answered as she went to the living room to greet Shigure as well.

"You're late today," Sayora said as she arrived at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, Sensei asked me to help clean up the classroom," she lied.

"Oh…"

"Hey," Kyo called, standing behind her. Tohru flinched, but only Yuki and Sayora happened to notice it. "I'm starving like hell. Make dinner already."

"Y-yes, I'll start on dinner right now!"

"At least put your stuff away and go get changed first," Sayora suggested as she went into the kitchen. "I'll help with dinner."

-----Few Minutes Later-----

Tohru hummed to herself happily as she looked through the kitchen cabinets, trying to find some food to cook. She took out a can of mushrooms and put them on the counter.

"There's some chicken in the fridge," Sayora said as she took it out and put it on table beside her. "And there's tofu, too."

"Oh, that's great!" Tohru replied. "I can make miso soup tonight."

The two got started on making the dinner, Tohru heating up a pot of water for the soup and Sayora slicing the tofu for the soup and cutting the chicken for one of the other dishes.

"Did you ever find that keychain you were looking for this morning?" Sayora asked as she washed the mushrooms.

"Oh, yes, I did," Tohru replied. "It fell in my backpack…" she trailed off with a sheepish laugh.

"So you guys conducted that huge search during free period for nothing," she replied with a small laugh.

"I suppose it was a good thing that you went with Mobaro-san or you would've been wasting your time, too," she joked. Tohru added soy sauce to the water as it began to boil. Bringing up Sawaki was a bad mistake on Tohru's part because it reminded her of her conversation with Sawaki, causing her to go quiet.

"Are you okay?" Sayora asked, putting the tofu into the soup.

"O-of course!" Tohru assured with too much enthusiasm. "Mobaro-san is a very nice person, isn't he? I mean, he walked me all the way home and made sure I got back safely!" Sayora was sure that there was something wrong now. It was just too obvious.

Yuki was about to enter the kitchen to ask Tohru if she needed help but was stopped by Sayora's comment.

"I know you lied to me about cleaning up the classroom earlier," she said to Tohru. "It's because Sawaki said something to you, wasn't it? That's why he bothered to walk you home in the first place."

Tohru stood frozen, shocked by Sayora's accusation. "N-no, I was really cleaning the classroom. And he offered to walk me home."

"I was on detention today. Sensei told me to clean up the classroom, so there's no way you could've been doing what you said you did," she said calmly, countering what Tohru told her.

Tohru had no way out, but she didn't want Sayora to know about her conversation with Sawaki.

"Hey, Tohru!" Kyo called, causing Tohru to flinch as he ignored Yuki by the door and entered the kitchen.

"K-Kyo-kun…" she replied nervously, avoiding his eyes.

"Are you done yet?" he asked impatiently. "I'm starving!"

"Y-yes… just a moment longer…" she answered, trailing off.

"Hey, stupid cat," Sayora said, drawing his attention from Tohru. "Go set up the table."

"What?" Kyo asked. "Why _me_?"

"Just do it!" she replied with a vein as she exited the kitchen, dragging Kyo with her.

Yuki watched as the two came out of the kitchen together, then went into the kitchen to offer Tohru help.

Sayora took the rice bowls out of the cabinet and passed it to Kyo who set them on the table.

"Hey," Sayora said. "Can you get those plates? I can't reach them."

"Sure," he replied as he walked up next to her. "These, right?" he asked.

He looked down and saw Sayora gazing at him.

"H-hey…" Kyo stammered, blushing slightly as he avoided her eyes.

Sayora suddenly realized what she had been doing and quickly looked away. "W-what?" she asked as she tried to regain her composure, blushing in embarrassment.

"I… I said these, right?" he asked as he continued to avoid her eyes, handing her the plates.

"Yeah, th-thanks," she replied as she took them and swiftly turned around to set them on the table.

Kyo closed the cabinet doors and watched Sayora set the table, still blushing slightly.

"Did…" he paused, feeling a bit embarrassed about what he was about to say. "Did something happen?"

Sayora's eyes widened in surprise.

"When you came home today… you… you didn't seem like yourself…"

The happiness she felt from Kyo's concern couldn't even be described with words.

"So… is everything okay…?"

Sayora closed her eyes and savored the moment in her heart. _Everything's perfect…_ she thought.

"Hey…" Kyo said when he got no response.

Sayora turned around with her best smile, causing Kyo to blush again, wondering what she was smiling so happily about. "Everything's fine," she answered.

"Sayora-san!" Tohru called from the kitchen. "Can you come help me?"

"Yeah, coming!" she yelled back. "I'll be right back," she said to Kyo before leaving.

"Yeah," he replied with a small smile. However, the smile slowly disappeared when Sayora left. Kyo let out a weary sigh.

"Tired, Kyo-kun?" Shigure asked as he came entered the living room and sat at the small table.

Kyo watched his older cousin adjust himself and looked away without answering.

"Do you plan to keep hurting her?"

He looked up, eyes widened in surprise. He turned and looked at Shigure. "What…?"

"You're trying so hard to act normal around her," Shigure continued in his calm voice, "but I wonder how long you can keep up this facade."

Kyo's eyes narrowed at his cousin. "What the hell are you trying to say?"

"You keep bringing her hopes up, and then you go and do something and bring them right back down again. I don't think Sayora-chan can take much more this," he replied, looking through the magazine that was sitting on the table. "If you intend to make her _believe_ that things are back to normal, I suggest you throw that thought out the window until you can hold that act up twenty-four-seven."

Kyo frowned, but before he even got the chance to open his mouth to yell at his cousin, Shigure spoke again.

"I doubt you're as dense as you look. You can't possibly tell me that you don't know what you're doing to her." He paused and shifted his attention from the magazine to Kyo, staring at him with his playful, arrogant eyes. "You can't possibly deny being oblivious to the fact that you're breaking her heart," he stated bluntly.

Once again, Kyo could only silently stare in surprise at what was coming out of Shigure's mouth. 'Breaking her heart.' The weight of those three words were heavy on his mind, but he seemed to have a hard time believing it, or even acknowledging it for that fact. 'Breaking her heart' would mean that she loved him, and that was more than hard to believe… but the way she had looked at him earlier was hard to ignore, and he couldn't deny that it made his heart skip a few beats. Then it suddenly hit him. _He_ loved _her_… but did he really? If he did, then why was he constantly trying to get away from her? It didn't make sense to him. He decided to convince himself that he was just caught up in the mood, and that was what made him react the way he did.

"—yo," a voice called. "Kyo?"

He was forced out of his thoughts and saw Sayora in front of him.

"Y-yeah?" he asked.

"Shishou called and wants to talk to you," she told him. "Something about Kagura and the dojo…"

"Oh…" he replied as he got up and left the room.

Sayora watched him leave, feeling warm inside. The gap was finally starting to close at last.

"Cunning you are," Shigure said.

Sayora turned and looked at him. "What?" she asked, not understanding what he meant.

"Don't think your actions will go unnoticed by everyone," he replied.

"Can you ever make sense the first time you say something?" she remarked sarcastically.

"You made a mistake by rejecting him, and when you wanted to close the gap that resulted, he didn't cooperate the way you wanted him to…" Shigure continued, ignoring Sayora, "…so you decided to force him to acknowledge you by acting out and being selfish, not once thinking about the burden he would have to deal with."

"That's not true!" she argued against his baseless accusation. "And I don't 'act out'!"

"But you _are_ selfish."

Sayora couldn't argue againstthat. It was true. She _was _selfish. But it wasn't as if she was forcing Kyo to acknowledge her. He _chose_ to.

"Have you ever thought of the possibility that Kyo-kun is drifting away because you're trying to pull him too close to you? Maybe he doesn't want to be burdened by your constant nagging about how he hasn't forgiven you."

Her eyes widened in shock. _How… how did he know—_

"Don't act surprised. I don't need to listen to your arguments with Kyo-kun to know what's going on," Shigure said in a smug tone. "He wants time to think things through and sort things out in his mind, but all _you _can do is pester him so you can get what _you_ want. If I were Kyo-kun, I would avoid you, too."

Once again, Sayora found herself silenced by Shigure. Whether what he said was really what she thought, she didn't even know anymore. All she knew was that hearing it from Shigure was painful and maddening. He was always twisting things around, talking as if his words were the absolute truth. She felt powerless against his words, his accusations. Truly, deep down, even _she_ believed that what Shigure said was right. He just seemed to have that obnoxious ability to see through people for who they really were, and then to drag their flaws out and expose it to them in a way that made them squirm with discomfort… the discomfort of knowing he was right. And now was _probably_ not an exception. That was the most annoying thing about Shigure… or to Sayora at least. He made people question themselves.

"Sayora," Yuki suddenly said from the entrance of the living room behind her. "Honda-san needs your help in the kitchen."

She glanced back at him with a silent look of gratitude on her face, mentally thanking Yuki for getting her away from Shigure as she left the living room. The moment Sayora stepped into the kitchen, Tohru flinched with anxiety. She didn't want Sayora to ask why she had lied to her earlier.

"Relax…" Sayora said, sensing her nervousness. "I'm not gonna pry into things you don't wanna talk about…"

-----Meanwhile in the Living Room-----

"My, my, what a scary look," Shigure commented coolly with an arrogant smile. "Is there a reason why you're looking at me that way?"

"Just what're you trying to do?" Yuki demanded to know. "And cut the crap Shigure. I heard everything you just said to her."

"Such a forgiving cousin," he replied. "As I recall, just moments ago, you were still mad at Sayora-chan."

Yuki only frowned in response, wondering how Shigure found out they had fought.

"I believe I've told you before Yuki-kun, all I'm trying to do is help Sayora-chan over the wall in front of her," Shigure said, answering Yuki's question. "The bigger the distance she and Kyo-kun have to close, the stronger their bond will be when they resolve the problems between them, don't you think so?"

Yuki had a troubled look on his face. "This isn't a game Shigure… you can't just play with people's lives."

"Please, don't confuse me with Akito…"

-----Main House-----

Hatsuharu slowly walked down the dark hall, making his way down to Akito's room. He hated being called down there. He wondered what the head of the family wanted from him in particular. No doubt this visit was going to be just as unpleasant as every other visit he had taken.

"Come in," Akito's voice ordered from the other side of the door.

Haru stood and closed his eyes. He drew in a slow, deep breath before sliding the door open.

Akito turned to greet him with his sadistic smile. "Welcome… stupid cow."

He frowned slightly and walked into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"What did you want…?" Haru asked quietly.

"'_What did you want?'_" Akito repeated. "What a stupid question. But then what else can you expect when you're talking to a stupid cow?"

There were a few seconds of silence. "So tell me, how's that wolf doing?"

Haru flinched, looking at Akito with a suspicious frown.

"Oh, that's right… you don't know because it's _'none of your business',_" he continued.

Haru's eyes widened in shock. "How did you—"

"Do you want to know?" Akito asked eerily. "Do you want to know why that wolf stopped calling you a brother?"

Haru didn't say anything.

"It wasn't because you '_abandoned'_ her," he continued. "It's because she was disgusted… disgusted to have ever thought of a stupid cow like you as her brother! She felt humiliated to have considered you more than an equal! **Now** do you understand?!

"Shut up…"

"You will never be a brother to her! All you'll be is nothing!"

"Shut up!"

"She runs to you when she needs help. She throws you away when you become useless. That's the relationship between you and that wolf!"

"That's not true!!"

"You're nothing more than a pet in her eyes, stupid cow!!"

"Shut up!!!"

Akito stared at the mentally exhausted Haru with a satisfied smirk. He wasn't going to let Sayora go so easily. If she refused to come back to him, then he was going to make it so that she had nothing left to live for in the outside world. He was going to make her realize that the only place she belonged was under god…

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 25- Resolutions

Sawaki and Kimi's relationship is dangling by a thread and is in danger of falling apart when Kimi continues to hear of Sayora and Sawaki being together. However, not only does he have his relationship to deal with, he also has to deal with Tohru who has become tense about her situation with Kyo. Meanwhile, blinded by Akito's words, Haru is infuriated with Sayora and begins to act coldly towards her. At the same time, Kyo ponders over his feelings for Sayora. However, when Sayora doesn't come home one night, everyone suddenly realizes how ridiculous their quarrelling is and how important it is that they value the bonds they have with each other.


	25. Resolutions

**dna**- the long awaited chapter! it didn't take a year this time lol..well, hope u guys enjoy. its a super long chap. i'll get the next one out asap! thanks to everyone whose been patient enough to stick with it this far! reviews are appreciated! they motivate me :P

**Hopeless Chapter 25- Resolutions**

_Riiiing Riiing Riiing Riiing Riiing Riiing… "You have reached the voicemail of—"_

Sawaki switched off the phone and hit the redial button.

"_I'm sorry, but the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. To leave a message, press one. To page this person, press—"_

He hit the off switch again and sighed. Slightly frustrated, Sawaki grabbed his backpack off the couch and left for school.

* * *

Kimi sat on her bed in her school uniform, listening to her cell phone go off for the fourth time. It was Sawaki's ring tone again. Before it got the chance to ring a fifth time, she suddenly grabbed the phone off her desk and turned it off.

"Kimi! Are you done?" her mother yelled from downstairs. "You're going to be late for school."

"One second!" she yelled back, quickly stuffing her school books into her bag before leaving her room.

-----Meanwhile-----

"Really, Honda-san… you shouldn't let Shigure get away with teasing you so much," Yuki sighed as he and Tohru walked to school together.

Tohru smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know he was just joking when he said that."

"Speaking of teasing, I wonder if that editor is going to be okay today…"

"Editor?"

"I remember Shigure saying that his deadline was today, and you know how he is with his editor."

"Oh… in that case, I hope Shigure-san doesn't tease her _too_ much. It would be terrible if she tried to kill herself in front of the house again," Tohru replied.

"I just hope she's gone by the time we get back," Yuki said, worn out merely at the thought of coming home to Mitsuru's obnoxious begging and whining.

"Hey! Honda-chan!" Tohru heard Sawaki call from behind her.

With their encounter from yesterday still fresh in her mind, she turned around and forced herself to stay cheerful so that Yuki wouldn't suspect anything. "Good morning, Mobaro-san!"

Sawaki had what looked like a sympathetic smile on his face. "You seem happy today," he replied, noticing that Yuki was staring at him cautiously.

"Of course!"

"Is Sayora not coming to school today?"

"She went ahead with Kyo-kun."

"Oh… is that so?" he replied. "Well, I'll see you in class then."

"Wait!" Yuki suddenly said, both Sawaki and Tohru turning to look at him. It was then that Yuki noticed that he had used a rather rude and angry tone.

"What is it?" Sawaki asked, looking confused.

"N-nothing…" he stammered, regaining his composure, searching his mind for something to say. "I just wanted to thank you for walking Honda-san back home yesterday."

Sawaki gave a small, almost sad smile in response. "Of course. What kind of guy would I be if I'd just left her by herself that late at night?" With a quick wave to Tohru, he went ahead to find Sayora.

As he entered the school and made his way down the hall, he took out his cell phone and dialed Kimi's number once more.

"_I'm sorry, but the number you have dialed is currently—"_

He ended the call with a sigh.

"Hey," he heard Kakeru call. "Why the long face?"

Sawaki looked up to find both Sayora and Kakeru, surprised when Sayora looked away.

"Have you guys seen Kimi this morning?" he asked, temporarily ignoring her odd behavior.

"Yeah, I saw her five minutes ago," Kakeru answered. "She was—"

"Hey Kakeru, I'm gonna go to class," Sayora suddenly interrupted.

"Oh, sure."

"Hey, hold on a minute!" Sawaki said, taking a step toward Sayora. "I need to talk to you!"

"Maybe later," she swiftly replied, leaving the two boys.

"Hey, you're going the wrong way!" Kakeru informed as he watched her turn the corner and leave his sight. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Something happen?" he asked Sawaki.

"Hell if _I_ know," he replied moodily. "Kimi's ignoring my calls and Sayora's acting all weird on me. I swear… it's like, ever since I got involved with Sayora, I've had nothing but probl—" He stopped himself and sighed again.

"What? Problems?" Kakeru asked, looking at his frustrated friend.

"No… it's nothing." Sawaki was angry with himself for throwing the blame on Sayora. After all, he said it himself. _He_ was the one who decided to throw himself into her problems. It wasn't as if she ever asked him to bother with her.

-----Meanwhile-----

As Sayora turned the second corner, she bumped into the person Sawaki was just looking for.

"Oh, hey Kimi," she greeted.

Kimi smiled and gave a small wave.

"I haven't seen you around lately," Sayora said, trying to start a conversation.

"I've been busy with council work," she replied with a complete lack of her usual cheerfulness.

"Sawaki was looking for you."

"Oh…" was all Kimi said, worrying Sayora.

"What's wrong?" Sayora asked. "You don't want to see him?"

Kimi stared at her silver-haired friend for a while before smiling sadly and looking away, giving a tiny nod.

_Ding Dong Ding Dong_

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of school.

-----Classroom-----

Mayuko silently took attendance as she glanced at her room for any empty desks. "Has anyone seen Sayora?" she asked.

Yuki and Tohru looked at each other. Sayora had come to school with Kyo. Yuki turned to glance at his orange-haired cousin and saw him just as confused as he was. Sawaki sat and stared at the empty desk, getting irritated with his friend's odd behaviors.

"She didn't come to school with you guys?" Mayuko suddenly asked Kyo and Yuki.

"U-uh…" Kyo stammered, caught off guard.

"She has a doctor's appointment this morning," Yuki quickly replied, covering for his cousin.

"Oh, I see…" their teacher mumbled to herself, marking something on the clipboard in her hand.

-----On the Roof-----

Kimi stood looking down at the school's front yard, enjoying the light, cool breeze that blew by her. She raised her arms up above her head and stretched.

"So… what did you want to talk to me about?" Sayora asked.

Kimi closed her eyes as her arms returned to her side, then pulled them behind her and clasped them as she turned to look at Sayora.

"YonYon… didn't know Sawa-chan when he was in middle school, did you… since YonYon left before Sawa-chan came…" she said quietly, looking down with a small smile.

Sayora didn't reply. She only stared silently, unsure where this whole thing was going.

"Sawa-chan used to be angry all the time…"

_-----Three Years Ago-----_

_Lunch break had just started and Kimi was quickly surrounded by boys flirting and joking around with her._

"_Hey, Toudou-chan, check out my new watch!" one of the boys said, showing her the watch wrapped around his wrist. "It's brand new! I just bought it yesterday. Cool, isn't it?" _

"_You idiot," his friend replied. "Why would she be interested in something like _that_?"_

"_Kimi wants the new purse that just came out a few weeks ago," she said as she put a piece of sushi in her mouth, chewing happily. _

"_Oh! I heard about that. It's really popular right now!" _

"_So you want it Toudou-san?" one of them asked. "I can get it for you if you want."_

"_Hey! _I_ was gonna get it for her!" _

"_Hey! What about me?!"_

_As the boys argued with each other, one of them accidentally bumped into the desk of one of the students behind them. _

"_Watch it," a voice snapped at them. _

_The group turned around to stare at the brown-haired boy who glared back at them arrogantly. _

"_What the hell's your problem? It was just an acc—"_

_CRASH!!_

_The brown-haired boy had gotten up and grabbed the other boy by the collar of his shirt, knocking his chair over in the process._

"_What the hell Mobaro?!!" the boy yelled. _

"_You wanna say that to my face again?!" Sawaki shouted as he punched his classmate to the ground._

"_Hiyama!" one of his friends yelled worriedly._

_Meanwhile, the other friends surrounded the still confident and arrogant looking Sawaki, angrily glaring at him and wanting payback for their downed friend. Kimi stood behind the group, watching a bit worriedly. _

"_Hey! What's going on here?!" suddenly came their teacher's voice. It was Kimoto, their homeroom teacher. "What're you boys doing?!" When he made his way to the place of incident and saw one of his students on the ground with a bloody mouth, he became infuriated. "Who did this?!" he demanded. _

_The group directed their eyes at Sawaki. _

"You _again?!" the teacher yelled at him._

"_Yeah, so what?" he retorted. "What're _you_ gonna do about it?"_

"_Why you disrespectful little…" Kimoto sighed, tired of having to repeat the same routine over and over again. "Come with me to the faculty room."_

"_Make me," Sawaki challenged._

_Kimoto trembled with anger. "NOW!!" he shouted, slamming the door open and walking on ahead. _

"_Tch!" Sawaki jabbed his hands in his pockets and began to follow his teacher. Kimi watched him leave, suddenly interested and curious in the boy she never bothered to talk to. _

_-----In the Faculty Room-----_

"_What the hell happened back there Mobaro?" the Kimoto asked, looking up at the boy from the chair he was sitting in. _

"_They pissed me off," he replied flatly, refusing to look at the teacher._

"_That's no excuse to knock out Hiyama's teeth and give him a bloody mouth!" he scolded, exaggerating the incident. "How many times do I have to tell you that you can't just hit people for no reason?! Think about the consequences for once!"_

_Sawaki turned his head away and ignored him, pretending not to listen. Kimoto sighed loudly and tiredly, taking off his glasses and pinching his eyes. "Look… I'm worried about you, do you understand that Mobaro? If there's something wrong and you don't want to tell anyone, then fine. Do whatever you want. But your way of venting your anger and frustration isn't healthy for you…_ and _your classmates," he added as an afterthought, thinking back on all of the victims of Sawaki's venting._

"_Are you done yapping now?" Sawaki asked rudely, leaving the room. _

"_H-hey! I'm not done talking yet! Where do you think you're going?!" _

"_Home," he replied, shutting the door behind him loudly. _

"_I don't see why you put up with that boy…" one of his fellow teachers said as he walked by._

"_How could you say something like that? Isn't it our job as teachers to look after kids like him?" Kimoto asked. "Besides… it's not like he's a bad kid, just troubled…"_

"_Still," one of his female colleagues replied, "his behavior is out of control. If it were up to me, I would've kicked him out of school a long time ago."_

"_I'm with you there," one of the teachers replied. "What're his parents teaching him? He has no discipline."_

"_He _has_ no parents, remember?" someone answered. "He kicked himself out."_

"_Oh yeah… that's right," another teacher remembered. "I heard that someone died and his parents got angry because it distracted him from his studies."_

"_Really?" another asked. _

"_His dad's supposedly some company CEO. They expect him to inherit the company so they push him to study. Some plan _that_ turned out to be. Mobaro doesn't even seem to give a damn."_

"_I bet his parents were relieved when he left!" one of the teachers said with a small laugh. "If I had disobedient kids like him, I would've disowned him the moment he was born! They're more trouble than they're worth!"_

"_And it's because of people like _you_ that kids like _him_ grow up hating the world!" Kimoto suddenly snapped. "They grow up rejecting everyone because they think no one can be trusted! Is that really the kind of message you ought to be passing on to those you're teaching?! What kind of teacher are you?! You're supposed to have faith in them! If I grew up having teachers like you, I would've slit my throat and died!!" He moodily got up and abruptly left the room, leaving the other teachers stunned silent by his sudden harsh remarks._

_-----Kimi-----_

_Kimi twisted the cap on her bottle of water but was unable to budge it. She put on a pouty face and held out the bottle. "Kimi is so thirsty! Someone open it for her!" she pretended to whine. _

_One of the boys took the bottle and opened it with ease, handing it back to Kimi with a proud smile. _

"_Wow, amazing!" she praised as she took the water and drank it. _

"_I know," the boy replied with a smile. "I used my big muscles to open it," he boasted, flexing his so-called muscles._

_Kimi stood up after she finished her drink and gave the empty bottle to one of the boys to throw away. _

"_Toudou-chan? Where're you going?" _

"_Kimi is going to see some friends," she replied, opening the door and walking right into someone. She looked up to see who it was. "Ah, it's Sawa-chan!" _

'Sawa-chan'?!! _the other boys thought, jealous at the fact that his name left Kimi's mouth._

_Sawaki looked down at her, ignoring what she had just called him by. "Move, you're in my way," he finally said, moving her to the side and walking into the classroom. _

"_Eh? Did Sawa-chan forget something?" she asked with a smile on her face, following him inside. _

_Sawaki didn't react to her question at all. He grabbed his backpack off his chair and walked back toward the door with Kimi following him. _

"_Is Sawa-chan leaving?" she asked curiously. _

_Without any kind of response, he left the room and made his way out of school. _

_-----Two Days Later----- _

"_Today, we are going to start our volleyball unit," the gym teacher announced. "We went over the rules last week so everyone should know them by now. Once you pair up, come see me so I can write the groups down. Then you can get on the court and start playing."_

_Before Kimi could even start looking, four boys surrounded her._

"_Hey Toudou-san, want to pair up with me?" one of the boys asked. _

"_What? No fair! You paired up with her last time!" another argued. _

"_She said she would pair up with me next time!" the third one exclaimed._

"_No, she said that to _me_!" the last one said._

"_Kimi doesn't want to pair up with any of you," she replied. _

"_What?!!" they all exclaimed in dismay._

"_Kimi wants to pair up with Sawa-chan!" she said as she walked up next to Sawaki who was clueless. _

"_WHAT?!!" the other boys nearly screamed in disbelief. _

"_You wanna pair up with _him_?!" one of them asked. _

"_Mmhm," she nodded with a smile as she turned to Sawaki. "Let's go tell the teacher." Kimi grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him along._

"_Wha? Wait!" he objected in surprise._

"_Sensei! Kimi and Sawa-chan are partners!" she yelled loudly to him. _

"_Okay… Toudou and Mobaro… part—… _what?!_" he asked, suddenly realizing what he was writing down. He looked up and stared in shock. Sawaki would _never _partner up with someone like Kimi._

_The same group of boys from before stood near Sawaki and Kimi, casting hateful glances at Sawaki. _

"_Who would imagine that Toudou-san would want to pair up with someone like that?" they said, loud enough for both Kimi and Sawaki to hear. _

"_Why is she even bothering with him? Did she hit her head on something?"_

"_Maybe he tricked her into hanging around him…"_

"_Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him… after all, he _is_ sly…"_

"_That damn Mobaro… no wonder even his own parents didn't want him."_

"_Who_ would_? He's a disaster." _

_Kimi glanced back at the group of boys with a small frown. She then looked at Sawaki and saw his hand twitch and decided to take immediate action. _

"_Ow! Kimi hurt her ankle!" she suddenly cried, collapsing on Sawaki. _

"_Huh?" he instinctively caught her in his arms and helped hold her up. "Hey! Are you alright?"_

"_It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" she whined while clinging onto him. _

_Sawaki stared at her, unsure of what to do. _

"_Hey, Toudou! Are you okay?!" the teacher asked worriedly as he rushed over. He turned to one of the boys. "Hey you, take her to see the nurse!" _

"_No!" Kimi yelled in objection before the boy could reply. "Kimi wants Sawa-chan to take her!" _

"_Eh? But…" The teacher looked at the boy she was practically stuck to. He sweat dropped slightly at the troubled and bewildered expression Sawaki had on his face. "She wants _you_ to take her…" he told him with an awkward, nervous smile. _

_-----Couple Minutes Later-----_

_Sawaki made his way down to the nurse's office with Kimi on his back. She had pestered him mercilessly for him to carry her because it was "excruciatingly painful" to walk with her "injured foot". They reached the office only to find that it was empty._

"_Great…" Sawaki muttered. "_Now_ what?"_

"_Now Sawa-chan should leave Kimi on the bed and find tape to wrap her ankle up with," she told him cheerfully._

"_You can't be serious…" he said to himself as he carefully let her down on the bed and rummaged through the drawers._

_Kimi cocked her head to the side slightly. "What's Sawa-chan doing?" she asked curiously. _

"_Looking for the stupid tape," he replied without looking at her._

"_Oh…" There were a few seconds of silence. "Why?"_

_Sawaki stopped and looked at her with a completely puzzled look on his face. "Whadda ya mean 'why'?" he asked. "To wrap up your foot with!" _

"_Oh, that? Kimi wasn't serious about that."_

"_Huh?"_

"_She was kidding. Kimi faked that," she told him with her usual smile._

"What?!_" Sawaki asked in disbelief. _

"_Hmm… but since Kimi told everyone that, it would probably be better for Sawa-chan to wrap up Kimi's foot anyway," she said to herself._

"_Listen you! What the hell do I look like to you?!" _

"_A rabid dog!" she replied enthusiastically._

"_A rabid dog?" he repeated with a vein popping out of his head._

_Kimi nodded. "Mmhmm, a rabid dog! Because Sawa-chan is always aggressive and attacking people!" _

_Sawaki flinched at her comment and didn't reply. For a moment, time seemed to have stopped. Kimi continued to smile at him as if no words had been exchanged between the two. Feeling awkwardly uncomfortable with Kimi all of a sudden, Sawaki slowly went back to rummaging through the drawers again._

"_Is Sawa-chan angry?" she asked innocently._

"_No," he answered in an irritated sounding voice. _

"_Really? But Sawa-chan sounds angry right now," she said out loud to herself. "Or maybe Kimi just thinks so because Sawa-chan is always angry…"_

_Aggravated by Kimi's statements, he sloppily pushed things around, grateful to finally find what he was looking for after a few seconds. With the tape in his hand, he pulled a chair over next to Kimi and dropped himself on it. Kimi stuck out her left foot just slightly. Sawaki took the hint and leaned down in his chair and started to wrap her ankle. _

"_Heehh, Sawa-chan has gentle hands for such a violent person," she commented. _

_Sawaki didn't reply, feeling more agitated with each thing Kimi said. He finished wrapping her foot as quickly as he could and got up to put the tape away. "Alright, we're done. Let's go."_

"_Ehh?" she asked. _

"_Back to the gym," he clarified irritatedly._

"_But Kimi told everyone she hurt her foot. She can't go back to the gym," she replied._

"_Fine, then stay here. I'm leaving." _

"_But…" she trailed off quietly, stopping Sawaki's hand from turning the door knob._

_He let out an annoyed sigh. He hated that quiet, pleading tone. It was his weakness. "What?" he asked, turning to look at her, trying not to seem so irritated. _

"_Kimi thought that Sawa-chan hated them," she said, referring to the boys who always hung around her. "If Sawa-chan goes back, they'll just make Sawa-chan get into trouble again…"_

_It was then that Sawaki finally realized that Kimi had faked her injury for his sake, to get him out of the gym and allow him to escape the remarks of those boys. If she hadn't pretended to hurt her leg, there would've been, without a doubt, another fight… and who knew how many more times he could've gotten away with beating up his classmates. He had only escaped suspension for so long because Kimoto was always defending him. _

_Sawaki's hand moved away from the door knob and dropped back to his side. Feeling sympathetic for what Kimi had done for him, he walked back to the chair and sat down next to her…_

_-----Few Moments Later-----_

_It was only fourth period, but Kimi had talked Sawaki into leaving school with her._

_  
"Sawa-chan is going to walk Kimi home, right?" Kimi asked for the third time as she stood waiting for Sawaki._

"_Yeah, yeah, I'm walking you home! Stop asking already!" he replied as he slipped into his normal shoes and put his school shoes in his shoe locker._

_They both left the school with Kimi leading the way. _

"_Hey, where do you live anyway?" Sawaki asked. _

_Kimi let out a horrified gasp. "Sawa-chan isn't the stalker type, is he?" _

_A vein popped out of his head. "How can you call me a stalker when _you're_ the one who told me to walk you home?! Go by yourself then!" _

"_Eh? Home? Sawa-chan isn't walking Kimi home," she said, giving him a clueless look._

_A larger vein grew on Sawaki's head. He was quickly growing frustrated with her games._

"_Sawa-chan is taking Kimi to the ice cream store!" _

"_Why should I?!" he asked. _

"_Why _not_?" she replied with a question, heading off again, leaving Sawaki to wonder what was going through her mind. He sighed in defeat and followed her to the ice cream shop._

_-----Few Minutes Later-----_

_Kimi happily ate the parfait sitting before her while Sawaki watched. "Does Sawa-chan want some?" _

"_Tell me again why I paid for something _you_ wanted to eat?" _

"_Eh? But don't guys always pay for Kimi?" she asked innocently, causing Sawaki to sweat drop. _

What a spoiled girl,_ he thought. _

"_Hey, so Kimi was thinking," Kimi said, putting another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and gulping it down, "maybe we should skip school tomorrow go out together!" _

"_What?" Sawaki asked, not sure he heard her correctly. _

"_Sawa-chan doesn't want to?" He didn't reply. "Ah! Could it be…" He remained silent to hear what she had to say. "Could it be that Sawa-chan is afraid of getting into trouble?" she asked, causing him to nearly fall over. "Don't worry! Because Kimi has _special influences_ over the teachers!" _

"_Do I look like someone who would be afraid of skipping?!" he asked, wanting to smack her on the head. "And don't say something like that!" he yelled, referring to her last statement._

"_Hmm? Is Sawa-chan jealous?" _

_Sawaki smacked his hand on his forehead, mentally exhausted from having whatever he said twisted around into something completely different from what he meant._

"_Does this mean Sawa-chan will go with Kimi tomorrow?" she asked. _

_Sawaki looked at Kimi and stared her straight in the eye. She didn't attempt to look away and simply stared back at him, unfazed when most people would've been intimidated by his sharp gaze. He just couldn't figure her out. Finally, he broke the connection between them with a blink and sat back in the booth. _

"_Why do you wanna hang out with me all of a sudden?" he asked. "You probably didn't even know I existed before what happened back in the classroom the other day. Aren't you afraid of what people are gonna say if they keep seeing you hanging around me? Incase you haven't noticed, I don't exactly give people a good impression."_

"_Really?" she replied, scooping another spoonful of ice cream onto her spoon. "Because Sawa-chan left a really good impression on Kimi." She happily put the spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and swallowed, enjoying the sweet, cold vanilla taste as it slid down her throat. She was too busy eating her parfait to notice that Sawaki had been stunned by what she said._

"… _I…" Sawaki trailed off, getting her attention. _

"_Hm?" Kimi asked. She saw the muscles on his face twitching to slowly form a furious face. The spoonful of ice cream in front of her mouth slowly lowered until it was almost resting on the side of her cup. "… Sawa-chan…?" _

"_I hate people like you…" he said, shocking Kimi. "…always saying things without thinking… thinking you have people figured out when you don't know the first thing about them…" Sawaki could feel the fire building inside of him. "Girls like you are the worst. All you do is flirt around and make guys think you're interested in them so that you can take advantage of them when they let their guard down."_

"_If Sawa-chan was afraid of trusting Kimi, he could've just said so," she said as she watched the melted ice cream drip into her cup._

"_What, you think you know me now?!" he shouted as he got up and slammed his hand on the table in anger. "I hate people like you the most!! Happy-go-lucky, no-brain dumbasses like you should just stick to flirting and flashing your skirts around 'cause that's the only thing you're good at!!" He snagged his bag and threw it on his shoulder, leaving the restaurant shocked and silent at the incident that had just occurred._

_Kimi sat dumbfounded, wondering what she had said to suddenly make Sawaki so angry. Finally, she grabbed her bag and left the store, running to catch up with him. "Sawa-chan!" she called. "Sawa-chan, wait!" _

_Hearing her call him made him tremble with anger. He abruptly stopped and turned around, almost making Kimi crash into him. "'Sawa-chan, Sawa-chan'! Stop calling me that!!" he shouted in her face. Just as sudden as he had stopped earlier, he turned and left without another word, once again leaving Kimi shocked. _

_-----Next Day—Study Hall-----_

_Kimi watched Sawaki stare out the window from his desk in the back of the room. Still a bit frightened by what had happened the day before, she cautiously approached him and drew in a slow, deep breath. "Hi, Sawa-chan!" she greeted with a cheerful smile. _

"_I thought I told you to stop calling me that," was his emotionless reply. He didn't even turn away from the window to look at her. _

"_Don't forget, Sawa-chan has to go out with Kimi after school today!" she reminded, brushing off his cold attitude. _

"_You can go by yourself," he said, his eyes still glued to the scenery outside._

_Kimi's smile began to shrink as she felt her heart slowly sinking in disappointment. She wanted to push him into spending time with her, even if he was reluctant, but the incident yesterday kept her from doing so. _

"_Look… Toudou-san's hanging out with that Mobaro again," Kimi heard one of the boys say in a hushed voice._

"_This is pissing me off! Who the hell does Mobaro think he is?!" another asked angrily. _

"_Yeah, I'm pissed too!" someone agreed. "We should teach him a lesson! He can't just take her away from us!" _

"_Let's get him after school!" _

"_Yeah! That'll teach him a thing or two!" _

_Kimi frowned at what she was hearing and turned to look at them, catching their attention. "You can't do that to Kimi's boyfriend!" she said, silencing the class. The boys seemed to be frozen in utter disbelief. Sawaki, who was paying no attention to what was going on, cluelessly looked at the usually cheerful girl standing next to him, wondering what had just happened._

"…_w… what…?" one of the boys managed to ask. _

"_Sawa-chan is Kimi's boyfriend! If you do anything to him, Kimi won't forgive you!" she told them with a frown._

_Sawaki was so stunned by the sudden declaration that his mind went blank. He couldn't even voice his objection._

_One of the boys finally managed to activate his voice box again. "T-Toudou-chan, you can't be serious…!" _

_-----After School-----_

"_Hey, you! Wait!" Sawaki yelled, walking after Kimi. "Hey!!" _

"_Eh? Is Sawa-chan stalking Kimi?" she asked, not stopping. _

"_This isn't the time for joking!" he replied aggravatedly. "Would you stop for a minute?! We need to talk!!" When she continued to walk with no signs of stopping, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her around to face him. "I'm not playing, Kimi! What you just told everyone about us going out, you'd better find a way to _un_tell it! You can't just say whatever you want like that! What if they think it's true?!" _

"_It's fine, isn't it?" she asked with a smile. _

"No_, it's not!"_

"_Why is Sawa-chan so angry? He's already calling Kimi by her first name," she pointed out. "That means that we're pretty much already a couple!" _

"_Arghh!" he growled in frustration. "Why're you so simple-minded?! Whatever you want to accomplish by spreading this ridiculous rumor, you can't have it, okay?! I know you're used to it but you can't always get what you want!!" _

"_But Kimi _doesn't_ always get what she wants… because she doesn't have Sawa-chan…" she said unexpectedly, looking him in the eye, causing Sawaki to flinch. He hated the way she always looked him in the eye. It made her hard to read. "If Sawa-chan hates Kimi so much, then Kimi won't talk to him anymore."_

_Sawaki only stared at her in silence. _

"_If Sawa-chan is happy without Kimi, then Kimi will leave him alone."_

_-----Three Days Later-----_

_Sawaki sat staring out the window beside him as always when he heard the classroom door open. _

"_Alright everyone, in your seats!" Kimoto ordered. Once everyone took their seats, he noticed an empty seat in the third row. "Toudou's _still_ out?" he mumbled quietly to himself. "Does anyone know what happened to Toudou?" he asked the class. _

_Sawaki stared at the empty seat a row and three desks away from him. Kimi hadn't been to school since the day he yelled at her for calling him her boyfriend. He hated to admit it, but he actually missed her pestering and nosy questions. Not to mention, he felt oddly bothered by the fact that she had told him she would leave him alone._

"_Kimi's in the hospital," one of her best friends answered, pulling Sawaki out of his thoughts. "She was hit by a car three days ago."_

_The class started a commotion over the news of their classmate. Sawaki's eyes widened in shock. He could feel his heart racing in anxiety as he thought back on the argument he had with her before. _It's… it's my fault…_ he thought, feeling panicked. Suddenly, an image of Asaru's dead body in his arms flashed across his mind, frightening him, causing him to abruptly stand up. _

"_Mobaro?" the teacher asked in concern. _

Kimi… she's gonna die! _he thought, trembling at the possibility. Without warning, he dashed out of the classroom._

"_Hey! Mobaro!" Kimoto shouted after him down the hall. "Where're you going?!" _

_Sawaki _didn't_ know where he was going, and it took him a good five minutes of running down random streets before he realized that he had no idea which hospital Kimi was admitted to. "Dammit!" he cursed, catching his breath while trying to figure out what to do._

_-----Meanwhile—At the Hospital-----_

"_Well, it looks like you're almost good to go, Toudou-san," the doctor said, scribbling down some things on his clipboard. "You should be able to go home tomorrow. Isn't that great news?"_

"_Ehh? One more day?" Kimi asked. "But Kimi wants to leave today!" _

_The doctor let out a laugh. "Well, we can't always get what we want now, can we?" he asked, reminding Kimi of Sawaki who had said nearly the exact same thing. "Anyway, get plenty of rest today, okay?" the doctor instructed, leaving the room._

"_Ah, wait! Sensei!" Kimi suddenly called, stopping him. _

"_Yes?" _

"_If… if we can't always get what we want, then what should we do?" she asked._

"_Huh?" The doctor was a bit surprised by the unexpected question. "Well, I'm only a doctor… asking me such things, I wouldn't be able to give you much of an answer but—"_

"_**You wait**__," someone said from the door of the room. The doctor turned around and moved aside to reveal a tired Sawaki catching his breath. "You wait to see if the things you want come to you."_

"_Sawa-chan?" Kimi asked, obviously surprised._

_The doctor smiled and quietly left the room as Sawaki stepped in. _

"_Eh? But how did Sawa-chan find Kimi?"_

"_I went to every single hospital in the area, that's how."_

"_But why?"_

_Sawaki walked up to her bed and stared her straight in the eye as he always did. "Kimi… this past week has been the most irritating and annoying week of my entire life. Ever since you started talking to me, I've felt aggravated and just… angry! It's never felt so infuriating to be near someone before! _But_…" he paused. "For the past three days, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind… and when I heard that you were in an accident, I couldn't help but feel as if I was about to lose someone incredibly important… and… and…" Sawaki didn't know what else to say. He grabbed Kimi's hand and held it tightly. "That has to mean _something_… right?"_

_Kimi stared at him in silence, shocked at his sudden confession to her. "That Sawa-chan hates Kimi?" _

_Sawaki nearly fell over in disbelief. "No! That's not it!" _

"_Kimi will forgive Sawa-chan on one condition!" _

"_W-what?" he asked, recovering from his earlier shock. _

"_Sawa-chan has to be Kimi's boyfriend!" she said with a smile. "And Sawa-chan can't be angry anymore!" _

Isn't that two conditions?_ Sawaki thought to himself with a sweat drop. "Fine," he replied. "But I also have a condition. I want you to be _my _girlfriend, not anyone else's. That means no more flirting around and asking other guys for things you want. If you want to flirt around, you come flirt to _me_. If you want something, you ask _me_ to get it. You're _my_ girlfriend."_

_Kimi smiled and happily nodded in agreement… _

"Since that day, Sawa-chan has always been cheerful, and Kimi's never seen him get mad at anything…"

"Why're you telling me this?" Sayora asked.

"Because… ever since Sawa-chan's talked to YonYon, it feels like he's slipping away," Kimi answered bluntly. "The other day, he even got angry! And Sawa-chan doesn't tell Kimi anything anymore! He's always keeping secrets now!" She turned to face Sayora. "What did Sawa-chan talk to YonYon about that day in the nurse's office?"

"Huh? What did he…" Sayora trailed off uncomfortably. She couldn't just bring up Asaru. It wasn't her place to.

"YonYon knows what's wrong with Sawa-chan right?" Kimi asked. "Whenever Kimi asks, Sawa-chan changes the subject or avoids the question with a distant look in his eyes. YonYon would tell Kimi, right? If there was something wrong with Sawa-chan?"

"I…" she stammered. Kimi waited patiently. "I really don't know anything," she lied with a sympathetic smile. "That day at the nurse's office… nothing happened. He told me not to worry and that… nothing happened…" Sayora repeated, not knowing what else to say.

-----Meanwhile, During Class-----

"Alright, pop quiz!" Mayuko announced, eliciting a groan from the class. "Stop whining and take out a sheet of paper and pencil!"

Kyo reached into his backpack to grab a sheet of paper only to realize that he didn't have one. "Hey Tohru, give me some paper," he said.

"Oh, s-sure!" Tohru replied distractedly. As she handed him the piece of paper, their hands brushed against each other's and she let go, causing the paper to drift to the floor. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I'll get it!"

"No, it's fine," Kyo assured as he reached over and picked it up. "Are you okay today?"

"Hm?" she asked.

"Nothing…" he replied. "You just seem kinda jumpy today."

"I-is that so?"

"You sure you're okay?" Kyo asked worriedly. "Are you feeling sick or something?"

"N-no… I'm feeling great!" she replied with a poor attempt to sound normal.

Yuki's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Kyo and Tohru. He then glanced back at Sawaki out of the corner of his eye, wondering what Sawaki had said to Tohru to make her so worried.

Mayuko finished writing the last question to her pop quiz on the board and turned to the class. "Copy down the question and write answers below," she instructed. "You guys have twenty minutes!"

The minute she finished giving instructions, Sayora walked into the classroom. She earned confused eyes from Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo.

"S-Sayora!" Sawaki said standing up, sounding surprised.

"Quiet Mobaro! And sit down or else you're getting a zero!" Mayuko scolded, then turned to Sayora. "Perfect timing! We're having a pop quiz! You can get started!"

Sayora sweat dropped. "Yes ma'am…" she replied.

-----After the Quiz-----

"Psst! Sayora!" Sawaki called in a hushed voice to Sayora who sat two seats in front of him. She didn't respond. "Sayora!" Sawaki mentally cursed how she was ignoring him so he took out a sheet of paper and ripped off a small corner. After crumpling it into a tiny ball, he tossed it at Sayora, hitting her near her shoulder. Sayora didn't turn around. Sawaki ripped another corner and tossed it at her, hitting her near her neck this time. He was once again ignored. A vein popped out of his head as he crumpled the rest of the paper and threw it at her head. Sayora twitched as a vein popped out of her head. Frustrated at being ignored, Sawaki took his mechanical pencil and chucked it at Sayora, the tip colliding into her head as she cried out in pain.

"Ow!! That hurt you jackass!! What'd you do that for?!!" Sayora shouted, out of her seat and glaring at a startled Sawaki.

"It's _your_ fault for ignoring me!" Sawaki replied, out of his seat as well.

"HEY!! I'm _trying_ to teach a class here!!" Mayuko yelled. "Both of you, go stand in the hall!!"

"Yes ma'am…" they both replied with a sweat drop.

The two of them stood against the wall on opposite sides of the closed door of the classroom.

"You just _had_ to overreact, didn't you?" Sawaki asked moodily.

"You threw a _pencil_ at my _head_! What kind of response were you expecting?!" Sayora retorted.

"Well it wouldn't have happened if you'd just answered me from the start!" he argued. "Honestly, what the hell is wrong with you?! You just start ignoring me all of a sudden! Did I do something to piss you off or something?!"

"Yeah! Your desperate and jealous girlfriend thinks you're hiding things from her—which you are—!"

"Wait!" Sawaki interrupted. "What do you mean 'desperate' and 'jealous'? Of what?!"

"She thinks there's something going on between us behind her back! And as far as I'm concerned, she's right!" she replied. "She's your damn girlfriend and you're hiding all these things from her!"

"So what're you saying?! I should just tell her about Asaru?!"

"I'm saying that you should tell her _something_!"

"It's not as easy as you think!"

"I didn't say it would be!"

"Look! You don't have a solution to everything, okay?!" he yelled angrily. "You always think you have the answer to everything but you don't!"

"Fine then! Do whatever you want!"

"I will!"

"And while you're at it, whatever you said to Tohru, you'd better find a way to _un_say it!"

"What _now_?!"

"That's what _I_ should be asking _you_! She was avoiding Kyo the whole night! And I had to take Kyo to school with me this morning because she was so anxious! What the hell did you say to her anyway?!" Sayora demanded.

After hearing what Sayora had told him, it suddenly made sense why Tohru was so uncomfortable with Kyo during the quiz.

"Hey, I asked you a question!"

"Mind your own business!"

The door to the classroom slid open. Sayora and Sawaki both looked beside them to find Mayuko with her hands on her hips, trembling in anger.

"I'm trying to teach a class!" she shouted. "Take your conversation elsewhere!!"

The two of them winced as she slammed the door shut. For the next five minutes, the two of them stood quietly, calming themselves down.

Sawaki sighed and glanced at Sayora from the corner of his eye. "So… you still haven't answered my question," he said. "Why're you ignoring me all of a sudden? I know you saw me outside your house last night."

"You have no right to worry about me when you're screwing things up so badly," she answered without looking at him.

Sawaki once again sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.

-----Study Hall-----

Sawaki sat by himself at his desk and watched Kyo, Tohru, Yuki, Sayora, Uo, and Hana hanging out together. He couldn't help but feel guilty at seeing Tohru avoid Kyo. She looked like a complete mess whenever Kyo looked at her or tried to talk to her.

"Checkin' someone out, Mobaro?" a friend jokingly asked as he sat on the desk beside him. Sawaki clenched his fist and got up. "Eh? Mobaro?"

Sawaki ignored his friend and made his way over to Tohru. "Honda-chan, can I talk to you?"

"Eh?" The look on Sawaki's face made it impossible for her to refuse. "Yes… of course," she replied, wondering what was going on.

Tohru got up and followed Sawaki out of the classroom. Yuki stared at Sawaki suspiciously. He wanted to get up and stop them but didn't, only because of the fact that Sayora had ignored the entire situation completely.

Both Tohru and Sawaki stepped out of the classroom and closed the door behind them. For a moment, the two of them stood in silence as Tohru fidgeted nervously.

"I'm sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?" Sawaki asked sympathetically.

"N-no! Not at all!" she replied.

"I wanted to apologize again for what I said yesterday. It seems I've made things awkward for you and Kyo."

"Ah—"

"Please listen to what I have to say…" he said, not letting her interrupt. "For a long time now, I've been irritated with you because I thought you were in the way."

_In… the way?_ Tohru thought to herself, wondering what he meant.

"In my mind, I'd made up this image of you as a selfish person who put on an innocent act just to get attention from the people around you. I thought that under that perfect image you'd created was a sly and deceitful girl who acted sweet just to get what she wanted… but I was wrong. You and I… we're alike…"

Tohru looked into Sawaki's unwavering eyes as he spoke.

"We've both worked hard to build up a strong image of ourselves for others to see… yet, at the same time, we've locked ourselves in with the past. We are both… being held back… you with your mother, and I with…" he trailed off.

"Mobaro-san…"

"What I'm trying to say is…" Sawaki paused to get his thoughts together. "What I'm trying to say is that your mother is dead, and it's about time that I've accepted the death of my friend as well. It's time to stop living in the past."

Tohru could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "Are you saying… are you saying that I should forget about…?"

"You have a big heart, Honda-chan…" he said with a small, encouraging smile. "It's too big for your mother alone."

Tohru closed her eyes and felt the tears slide down her face. "But… but my mother… I can't…"

"As long as you keep living, you'll continue to meet people important to you. It's okay to love them and care about them. They also… deserve a place in that big heart of yours," he told her gently. "Don't leave your mother all alone in there…"

Tohru cried into her hands. _He's right… Mom, what have I done? _

"I will also… stop being selfish…" Sawaki said, as if speaking to himself. "I will also stop leaving my heart filled with memories of the dead…"

-----Lunch-----

Sawaki immediately got up to chase after Sayora who left the room.

"Oi, Sayora!" he yelled after her. ­­­­­­­­"Wait a minute!"

"What _now_?" she asked tiredly as she turned to face him.

"I talked to her… to Honda-chan…" Sawaki stood and waited for a reply.

"Yeah, I know. So what?"

"So then… why do you still look angry with me?"

Sayora looked up to answer him but stopped when she saw who was standing behind him.

"Sayora?" he asked.

She looked away.

"Sawa-chan…" Kimi called quietly.

"Ah…" Sawaki looked back to see the girl he had been looking for the entire morning.

"Well if it isn't Mobaro!" one of his friends said as he and two others walked by. "Such a player!"

"Sayora's gonna get jealous if you keep flirting with all these other girls!" another joked.

"Why's the atmosphere so heavy?" the third asked with a playful smile. "It feels like a love triangle! Haha!"

"Oh, shut up already! It's not like that!" Sawaki replied with a laugh as his friends continued on their way.

Sayora frowned at him in disbelief. "I can't believe how inconsiderate you can be."

"Huh?" Sawaki watched as Sayora turned to leave. "Hey! What the hell? What're you always so pissed off about?!" When Sayora left without a word to him, he frowned and turned to Kimi. "Honestly, what the hell is wrong with her?! It's like she's never happy! No matter what I do, she's always angry with me! What the—" Sawaki stopped himself when he saw the pained look on his girlfriend's face. "Kimi-chan?" She didn't reply. "Kimi, what's wrong?"

"Why is Sawa-chan always talking about YonYon and worrying about her?" she asked. "Why does Sawa-chan always ignore Kimi now?"

"Eh? Sayora's an old friend. Is it wrong to worry about her?"

"Then why doesn't Sawa-chan deny it when everyone calls YonYon your girlfriend?"

Sawaki thought it was a joke. "Hey, c'mon. You're not _actually_ jealous now, are you?" he asked with a laugh. But he grew silent when the serious expression on Kimi's face didn't change. "Kimi…"

She turned and faced the window, resting her hands on the window sill. "When Sawa-chan said that he needed to resolve something with YonYon, Kimi thought that Sawa-chan would come back."

"Wh… what're you saying?"

Kikmi clenched her fists and turned to face Sawaki with a frown. "Sawa-chan's changed too much. Even if it's Kimi, she also has her limits."

The two stared at each other in silence. After a few seconds, Sawaki looked away uncomfortably. "You're being ridiculous," he said quietly. "I'm your boyfriend. Can't you trust me?"

"Kimi has always trusted Sawa-chan with everything, but all this time Sawa-chan's been the one keeping secrets from Kimi." Sawaki flinched, knowing she was right. "Sawa-chan doesn't even look Kimi in the eye like he used to anymore."

He didn't reply.

"As for being Kimi's boyfriend…" she continued. "Kimi doesn't know whose boyfriend Sawa-chan is anymore… because from an outsider's point of view, Sawa-chan looks a lot more like YonYon's boyfriend."

"Wha—?!" Sawaki looked up to object only to find Kimi walking away. "Hey!" he shouted after her. "Kimi!" He followed her down the hall, grabbing her hand right before she turned the corner. "I've told you before that the things you really want will always come to you! And I'm here now, aren't I?" Sawaki asked.

"Sometimes, the things you want changes by the time it gets to you…" she replied, surprising Sawaki. "The old Sawa-chan would never make Kimi feel so unimportant."

"Chasing skirts again Mobaro?" one of Sawaki's friends joked as and another happened to walk by.

"You cheating on your girlfriend _again_?" another asked while laughing. "Sayora's gonna cry if she finds out!"

Sawaki looked at an aggravated Kimi and trembled in anger and frustration. "Sayora's not my goddamn girlfriend!!" he shouted, startling everyone in the hall silent. "I love Kimi, and only her! So everyone else just shut the hell up about me and Sayora already!!"

Kimi stared at the boy standing before her, shocked at his declaration. "… Sawa-chan…"

-----Sayora-----

Sayora had planned to join Tohru and the others for lunch but found her legs leading her to Haru's classroom instead. However, before she made it all the way, she ran into Momiji.

"Hey, Sayo!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Well look who it is," Sayora replied. "Still cross-dressing I see."

"But it still looks good on me, right?" he asked with a smile, referring to his girl's uniform. "So, where were you going?"

"I was on my way to see Haru," she answered. Momiji's cheerful attitude dissipated at the mention of his cousin's name. "Wanna come with me?"

"Hey Sayo… I think… it might be better if you don't see him right now…" Momiji spoke hesitantly.

"Eh? Why…?" Sayora asked, growing worried about the blonde boy's behavior. "Is something wrong?"

"Haru is… in a bad mood right now… so…" he said, choosing his words carefully.

"Is he in Black Mode?!" she replied with concern.

"No, no!" Momiji quickly replied. "He's just—" He stopped himself when he felt someone standing behind him.

"Haru!" Sayora exclaimed, walking up to him.

"Ah! Sayo—"

"Are you okay?" Sayora asked Haru worriedly, drowning out Momiji's concern. All she got in response was a silent, angry glare from her cousin. Momiji looked at Haru nervously. "Are you… still mad about yesterday?" Sayora asked. "Look, I didn't mean what I said yesterday, okay? Besides, you know how I am when I get upset. I blurt things out without thinking."

"Why're you apologizing?" he asked, earning a confused look.

"Because! You're still mad at me! And I feel bad about shouting at you like that!" she replied as if it should've been obvious.

"Drop the act!" he retorted, surprising Sayora and worrying Momiji. "Like you give a shit how you make a stupid 'pet' like me feel!"

"Haru!" Momiji said, trying to calm him down.

"Wha… 'pet'?" Sayora's mouth dropped in disbelief. "What're you talking about?!"

"Don't play dumb!!" Haru shouted furiously. "All you do is use me, and the moment I become inconvenient for you, you toss me aside!!"

"Haru! Stop!" Momiji pleaded.

"You think I don't know what you're doing?!" Haru continued to shout at Sayora.

"What?! That's not true!"

"Then tell me… why did you stop calling me your brother?!" Haru yelled. "What's the real reason you stopped calling me your brother?!!"

"Because!" Sayora shouted back. "I didn't think you needed me to call you 'Haru-nii' or 'Onii-chan' to let you know that you'll always be a brother to me!"

What felt like an eternity of silence passed by in a mere few seconds in reality.

"Don't just say things like that when it's convenient for you," he replied harshly, walking away.

"Ah! Haru!" Momiji called after him, shocked at what came out of his mouth.

Sayora latched onto his arm with both of hers, hugging it tightly against her as if her life depended on it. "I'm sorry Haru! If I made you feel that way, then I'm sorry! It's my fault for not letting you know how important you are to me!" He didn't respond. "You can't abandon me… you can't! If you do, then who else can I turn to…?" she pleaded desperately.

Haru roughly pulled his arm away from Sayora. **"Don't touch me." **He continued down the hall without looking back at either of his cousins.

For a moment, Momiji was frozen with shock. "W-wait! Haru!" he shouted. He glanced back at Sayora before chasing after Haru. "Hey! Haru!" Momiji yelled as he caught up to him. "I know you're in a bad mood, but wasn't that a bit too harsh?!" he asked worriedly.

"I'm sick of being taken advantage of! She thinks I'm just some stupid animal that can be led by the nose!"

Momiji looked at Haru sympathetically. "You are… usually a very understanding person," he said quietly, trailing off. "Did you have a talk with Akito…?"

-----Meanwhile—Tohru and the Others-----

Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, Uo, and Hana were all gathered on the roof, unpacking their lunches.

"Has anyone seen Sayora?" Yuki asked, looking around.

"Ah, I think she went somewhere with Mobaro-san," Tohru replied.

"Again?" Uo asked. "Hey, Kyon! Go find her!"

"What? Why _me_?!" he argued.

"Because I said so!" she said.

"What the hell kinda reason is _that_?!" Kyo shouted.

"Well what reason do _you_ have to _not_ get her?!" she asked.

"Who cares if she wants to eat lunch with someone else! You act like it's the end of the world if we don't have lunch with her!"

"Now, now… let's not argue," Tohru said, trying to quell the arising argument.

Hana glanced at Kyo. She knew that he didn't want Sayora here with them.

Kyo grabbed his chopsticks and began eating the bento Tohru had made for him. _I still can't help but avoid her…_ he thought helplessly. _What's wrong with me…? Even after all this time… even after everything I've told myself… why do I find myself still unable to accept her…?_

"You cannot fear losing what you have not yet obtained," Hana suddenly said.

"Huh?" Everyone looked up at her, wondering what she was talking about.

Kyo stared at the girl who continued with her lunch as if nothing had happened, wondering if the statement earlier was intended for him.

"What the hell was _that_?" Uo asked.

-----Sayora-----

Feeling frustrated and in no mood for school, Sayora decided to skip the rest of the day and wander around town aimlessly. Every attempt to clear her mind failed miserably and brought her back to the argument she had with Haru. _What did I do…?_ she wondered helplessly. _What _should_ I do? Haru's always been there for me… what in the world did I do to make him this mad at me? Even if I go back and apologize again, he's not gonna listen to me…_ Sayora sighed heavily. _What should I do…?_ she asked herself again.

"Ow!" someone cried out, followed by a small thud.

Sayora looked down to see that she had knocked over a little girl. "Oh, sorry," she apologized, holding her hand out for the girl sitting on the floor with a surprised expression. "Are you okay?"

The little girl looked up at her with a confused look. However, it was soon replaced with a trembling mouth and teary eyes. "Waahhhhh!!" she suddenly cried, startling Sayora.

"H-hey!" she replied as she looked around, embarrassed that people were staring at them.

-----School-----

The bell rang, signaling the last period of the day.

"I wonder if Sayora-san went home early today…" Tohru wondered worriedly.

"She's probably just skipping or something," Kyo replied, sitting at his desk.

"But… Sayora-san doesn't normally skip class…" Tohru pointed out.

"Don't worry, Honda-san," Yuki assured. "Kyo's right. She's probably already at home with Shigure."

-----Sayora-----

The little girl sat on the bench, happily slurping the ice cream Sayora had bought for her. _Did I just get scammed by a little kid?_ Sayora wondered, glancing at the girl from the corner of her eye.

"Does Onee-chan want some ice cream?" the little girl asked when she noticed she was being stared at, handing her half-eaten ice cream cone to Sayora.

"No… no thanks…" she declined with a sweat drop.

The girl shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to her melting ice cream.

"So, what's your name?" Sayora asked.

"Naori," she answered as she finished her food.

"Well, Naori-chan," she said as she got up, "I have to go now. Be careful on your way home, okay?"

"Ah! Onee-chan! Wait!" Naori shouted as she ran to Sayora and grabbed onto her leg. "Don't leave me!"

"Eh? What's wrong?" Sayora asked.

"I don't know how to get home!"

"Wha…?"

"I was supposed to meet Onii-chan by the bookstore but I got lost," Naori explained. "I don't know how to get home from here."

-----Tohru and the Others-----

"We're home!" Tohru announced cheerfully as she entered the house with Yuki and Kyo and headed to the living room where they were greeted by Shigure.

"Welcome home," he replied, setting aside his newspaper. "Hm?" Shigure looked at the three of them. "Where's Sayora-chan?"

"Eh…?" Tohru had a confused look on her face.

"You mean… she isn't home?" Yuki asked.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Shigure replied. "Of course she isn't."

Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru all exchanged a puzzled and concerned glance to each other.

"Sayora left school early," Yuki explained. "We thought she came back home."

"W-what should we do?" Tohru asked, becoming scared.

"Maybe she's out with that friend of hers," Shigure suggested. "Sawaki-kun, was it?"

Kyo's hand unconsciously twitched at the mention of them being together.

"You could be right…" Yuki agreed, turning to Tohru. "Let's not panic yet, Honda-san," he said with an assuring smile. "Sayora will probably come back later."

Tohru nodded, still worried about her silver-haired friend.

-----Sayora and Naori-----

"So, which bookstore are you supposed to meet your brother at?" Sayora asked.

"Hmmmmm…" Naori replied, deep in thought. "I don't know. It's the one by my school."

Sayora mentally sighed. She was going to be stuck with the little girl for a while. "Which school do you go to?"

"Sakahashi Elementary School," Naori answered.

Sayora stopped walking. "Sakahashi?" she asked.

"Mm-hm," the little girl nodded. "What's wrong?"

"I used to go there for a bit," she replied nostalgically.

A smile lit up on Naori's face. "Then you know how to get there from here!"

Sayora shook her head. "I don't remember. I was still a little kid when I went there."

"A little kid?" Naori repeated. "How old were you?"

"Around five or six I think…" she replied, unsure herself.

"How old are you _now_?" the little girl asked curiously.

"Seventeen," Sayora answered.

"Waahh! Onee-chan is so old!" Naori exclaimed in shock. "Maybe I should call you Obaa-chan instead."

"C'mon, I'm not _that_ old!" Sayora replied with a sweat drop, making Naori laugh. "So, how old are _you_?"

"Seven!" she answered proudly.

"Seven and you don't know how to get home from school?" she asked, deliberately teasing her.

"But how would _I_ know if Onee-chan is seventeen and can't find her way around?" the girl asked innocently.

Sayora sweat dropped. _I just got told off by a first grader…_ she thought, feeling as if Naori was the mirror image of Hiro with her remarks. "How about this?" she asked, pulling out her cell phone. "I'll call my friend and ask if they know how to get to Naori-chan's school." Sayora flipped open her phone only to find that her phone was dead and mentally cursed. She looked up to find a phone booth across the street and made her way over to it. She picked up the phone and began to dial Sawaki's number, suddenly stopping halfway.

Naori looked up at Sayora curiously. "What's wrong, Onee-chan?" she asked.

_I can't call Sawaki after yelling at him for ignoring Kimi and paying too much attention to me…_ Sayora thought. _And I sure as hell don't wanna call Haru right now…_

"_All you do is use me, and the moment I become inconvenient for you, you toss me aside!!" _

"_I didn't think you needed me to call you 'Haru-nii' or 'Onii-chan' to let you know that you'll always be a brother to me!"_

"_Don't just say things like that when it's convenient for you."_

Haru's harsh remarks lingered in Sayora's mind, making her become depressed. _What kind of person must I be to make him feel that way…?_ she questioned herself.

"_Don't touch me!" _

Sayora could feel her heart beating faster with anxiety at the mere memory of what Haru had said. _All of a sudden, the one person who's always been there for me is gone…_ She could feel a lump in her throat and her eyes becoming moist.

"Hey! Onee-chan!" Naori shouted.

"Huh?" Sayora looked down at the girl.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"O-oh… nothing…" she replied, dialing Kakeru's number instead.

"_Hello?"_ came Kakeru's voice as he picked up his phone.

"Hey, it's me," Sayora answered. "Do you know how to get to Sakahashi Elementary?"

-----Shigure's House-----

"Sayora-san isn't picking up her cell phone!" Tohru said worriedly.

"I told you, don't worry," Kyo said.

"But…"

"Didn't Shigure already say she might be with her friends?"

"But she might _not_ be, right?" she pointed out.

"Don't worry, Tohru-kun," Shigure assured. "Sayora-chan is quite capable of taking care of herself."

"B-but…" she trailed off weakly.

"Now, how about some dinner?" Shigure asked. "We're all very hungry."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Tohru replied, quickly leaving to the kitchen.

Kyo let out a moody sigh after Tohru had left.

"What're _you_ so angry about?" Yuki asked. "It's not going to rain today, is it?"

"It won't be raining for the next four days," Shigure answered. "Kyo-kun's probably just having jealousy issues."

"Huh?" Yuki asked.

"What?!" Kyo shouted at the same time.

"You're so shallow Kyo-kun," Shigure said, teasing him. "I saw the look on your face when I suggested Sayora-chan was out with Sawaki-kun."

"_What_ look?!" he demanded to know, frowning at Shigure.

"_That _look," Shigure replied.

"Arghh! Forget this! I'm going upstairs!!" he yelled, stomping up to the second floor.

"I was just kidding Kyo-kun!" Shigure yelled after him, holding back a laugh. "It wasn't the look on your face! It was your reaction just now!"

"Go to hell, you damn dog!!" he shouted from upstairs.

"What was _that_?" Yuki asked.

Shigure snickered. "Like I said. So shallow."

"Aren't you worried?"

"Hm?" Shigure looked at his cousin. "About Sayora-chan?"

"It's already past six."

Shigure laughed. "Don't be so old-fashioned! Six is still early for teenagers like you!"

-----Sayora and Naori-----

After an hour of getting lost, the two girls stood in front of Sakahashi Elementary.

"Onee-chan… you aren't very good with directions, are you?" Naori asked.

Sayora sweat dropped. "It's not my fault! My stupid friend gave me directions that went through the other side of town!"

Naori laughed. "You're so funny, Onee-chan!"

"Well _I'm_ not amused! We wasted an hour getting here!" Sayora replied. "You know how to get to that bookstore from here, right?"

"Mm-hm," she answered. "C'mon Onee-chan!"

The little girl once again grabbed Sayora's hand as she led the way. It took them less than five minutes to arrive at the bookstore.

"Is this the one?" Sayora asked.

Naori looked up at Sayora with a worried expression on her face. "T-there's no one here… there's no one here Onee-chan!" Naori began to panic, tears rushing to her eyes.

"Hey, hey, don't cry!" Sayora said, kneeling next to the girl. "Of course no one's here. It's been five hours since you were supposed to meet your brother."

"Wahhhh!!" Naori stood crying. "Onii-chan! Onii-chan left me!!"

"Don't be stupid! He didn't leave you!" Sayora replied, trying to calm the young girl down. "He's probably looking for you right now!"

Naori sobbed, looking at Sayora through her tear-filled eyes. "Really…?"

Sayora nodded with a comforting smile. "And I bet he's really worried about you, too."

"What should we do?" Naori asked. "Will Onii-chan come back if we wait?"

"Your brother could be anywhere right now…" Sayora stood there, thinking of what she should do. There was no guarantee that Naori's brother would be back anytime soon. "Maybe I should just take you home… where do you li—" She looked at the empty space where Naori had stood seconds before. She was gone… "Naori?!" Sayora called. "Naori!"

-----Hatsuharu-----

Haru made his way down the all too familiar hall that led to Akito's room. He had been summoned yet again by the head of the family. As soon as he arrived at the door of Akito's room, he was ordered to enter.

"Well, if it isn't the stupid cow," Akito said, staring out the window of his dark room.

"What do you want this time?" Haru asked bitterly.

"What do I want?" he asked, letting out a sardonic laugh. "That's the thanks I get for opening your eyes to that wolf's trick?"

"_Trick_?" Haru repeated, becoming angry. "The one who was tricking me was _you_!"

"Don't tell me you're _still_ stupid enough to believe everything she tells you." Haru didn't reply. "Ha! You don't know the true nature of that wolf! She's deceitful! A master manipulator! You actually thought a dumb cow like you was needed?! Dream on!"

_BAM!!_

Haru slammed his fist against the wall behind him. Akito glared silently at the aggravated Haru. "Stop it."

"What?" Akito asked.

"Stop trying to pit people against her! It's because of you that she's been suffering all these years!" Haru shouted. "Wasn't it enough that you locked her up and kept her isolated her whole life?! Why can't you just leave her alone and stop trying to make her miserable?!"

"Leave her alone?! _You_ did enough of that, didn't you?!" Akito shouted back, angry at being talked back to. "The one who made that wolf suffer was _you_! Because you 'left her alone'!! _That_ was the real reason she quit calling you her brother!! Because you abandoned her for that whore!!"

Haru became infuriated, and in an instant, the collar of Akito's yukata was in Haru's clenched fist. "Rin is not a whore!" he said in a low, dangerous voice.

Akito smirked. "And there you go abandoning her again."

Haru's grasp loosened and his hand fell back to his side, realizing that Akito was right. He had consciously made the choice to abandon Sayora to be with Rin, the woman that he loved.

"Like I said, you're just a stupid cow," Akito said, still smirking sadistically. "Do you know what she said to me that night you came and met her in this very room to tell her you stopped giving a shit about her?"

Haru stared at Akito silently.

"'_I want to disappear'_!!" he shouted as Haru clenched his fists, angry at himself.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Haru solemnly made his way back to his house, his mind filled with the things he had done to push Sayora away, including the incident earlier at school. _How could I be angry at her?_ Haru asked himself. _How could I expect her to call me a brother when I haven't been there for her all these years…?_ He looked up at the quarter moon sitting in the sky. _Since when did I become the kind of person who was blinded by rage and anger to the point that I would hurt the people around me? _Haru stopped in front of his house and smiled sadly. _It was… since the beginning… wasn't it, Sayora…?_

"Haru?"

Startled, he turned around to find Momiji. The worried look on the usually cheerful and happy boy made Haru uneasy.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Sayora…"

Haru's eyes widened as he became alarmed. "What happened?!" he demanded to know.

"Shi-chan called to ask if she was with you," Momiji replied quietly. "No one's seen her after she left school around twelve…"

"Twelve? But that's when…" Haru thought back to his argument with Sayora.

"_You can't abandon me!" _

"_Don't touch me!" _

"We have to look for her!!" Haru said, panicked.

"Ah! Haru!" Momiji yelled, running after Haru who took off. "Wait!"

"Hurry!!" he shouted back to the blonde boy. "She'll disappear!!"

"What?!" But Haru was already gone. Not knowing what to do, Momiji took off to Shigure's house.

-----Shigure's House-----

"Sayora-san still isn't back…" Tohru said quietly.

"It's almost eleven," Yuki said to no one in particular.

"Hm… it _is_ getting rather late," Shigure agreed.

Kyo glanced at each person as they talked. _There's no way she's still with that guy…_ he thought, referring to Sawaki.

"Has anyone tried calling Sayora-chan's cell phone?" Shigure asked.

"It went straight to voice mail," Yuki replied.

"I'm worried about her. What if Sayora-san collapsed? Or if she got kidnapped? Or maybe she's lost somewhere!" Tohru began to panic. "What if she got tricked by an evil man and is helpless right now?!"

Shigure sweat dropped. "I doubt that…" he said. _She's not _you,_ Tohru-kun… _

Suddenly, Kyo got up and headed toward the door.

"Where're you going?" Yuki asked.

"None of your business," he retorted.

Before an argument could erupt between Yuki and Kyo, frantic knocks could be heard from the front door.

"Coming!" Tohru yelled as she got up and rushed to the door. "Oh, Momiji-kun…" She looked at the anxious boy who was catching his breath. "What's wrong?"

"Kyo and Yuki!" Momiji said, still catching his breath. "Where's Kyo and Yuki?!" He moved Tohru aside and rushed into the house.

"Ah! Momiji-kun!" Tohru followed him into the living room worriedly. Momiji's unusual attitude was scaring her.

Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure all looked up when their cousin entered the room disoriented.

"Well, if it isn't Momiji-kun," Shigure said, wondering what was wrong.

"We have to find Sayora!" Momiji told them, sounding panicked. "We have to hurry and find her!"

Both Yuki and Kyo became alarmed.

"What happened?" Yuki asked.

"I-I don't know! I went to Haru to ask if he knew where Sayora was and he said we needed to find her and took off!!" the young boy explained frantically. "He… he…!!" Momiji had never felt so shaken up before.

"Momiji, calm down!" Yuki told him. "He what?"

"He said something really weird!" he replied. "He said Sayora was going to disappear!"

Kyo flinched and his eyes widened in fear. _No way… there's no way she would…!!_ All of a sudden, he dashed out of the house.

"K-Kyo-kun?" Tohru called as he ran by her on his way out.

"Yuki! We have to look for her too!!" Momiji said, sounding desperate.

Yuki looked at Shigure who nodded at him. "We'll be back later then," he said, turning to Momiji. "C'mon, let's go!" The two also rushed out of the house, leaving Tohru and Shigure.

Tohru came and joined Shigure in the living room once again. "Shigure-san, wh… what's going on?" she asked worriedly, frightened by the whole situation. "Did something… happen to Sayora-san…?"

"Who knows?" he replied. "Poor Momiji-kun… Haa-kun must've scared him so much."

"But why is everyone so…" Tohru trailed off, looking as if she was about to cry. She thought about what Momiji had said about Sayora disappearing and it made her heart thump with dread. "Is Sayora-san going away?" she managed to ask with a sob, unable to hold back her tears.

Shigure looked at Tohru and sighed, giving her a small, sympathetic smile as he got up and put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Tohru-kun… Sayora-chan might not be coming back to us…"

-----Naori-----

"Hey, Oji-chan," Naori said to the man in his fifties who was leading her somewhere. "Do you really know where Onii-chan is waiting?"

"Yes, he's right up ahead," the man told her with a friendly smile. "He sent me to come get you after all."

Naori returned the smile. "I'm so glad I'll get to see Onii-chan again soon! He must be really worried about me!"

"Yes, he is," the old man replied. _And he has good reason to be_! he thought as an evil smile replaced the friendly one he wore before.

It was then that Sayora happened to run into Naori after searching for her for nearly half an hour.

"Ah! It's Onee-chan!" Naori said, waving to Sayora.

"What?!" The man flinched as he turned to see a silver-haired girl running toward them.

"Hey!! What the hell're you doing?!" Sayora shouted.

_Shit!_ the man thought.

Sayora saw the man reach back and grab what looked like a pocketknife. Immediately, she pulled out her dead cell phone and started yelling into the receiver. "There's some guy with brown hair and a green shirt trying to kidnap a little girl!! Hurry and send someone right now!!"

_Tch!_ The man, thinking Sayora had contacted the police, quickly turned around and ran away.

"Eh?" Naori turned back to look at the man who had fled. "Wait! Oji-chan! You said you were going to take me to see Onii-chan!"

"You idiot!!" Sayora nearly screamed when she reached the little girl. "Are you stupid?! You were almost kidnapped by that guy!!"

"But he said Onii-chan sent him to come get me!"

"He would've taken you to his house and locked you in his basement!!" she continued to scold Naori. "You're lucky he thought I called the police!!"

Startled and frightened by Sayora's anger, Naori's mouth began to tremble and tears began to gather in her eyes. Realizing that she had scared the little girl, Sayora calmed herself down and let out a small sigh of relief, thankful that Naori was safe.

"I'm sorry," Sayora said gently, crouching down so she could look her in the eye. "I didn't mean to shout at you. I was just worried." She patted Naori on the head as the girl nodded and wiped away her tears. "Eh?" It was then that Sayora noticed the girl's name was written on the small backpack she was carrying. "Don't tell me…" She couldn't believe the coincidence. "You're a Souma?"

"Mm-hm," Naori replied, nodding. "Souma Naori."

_Why couldn't she have just told me her full name about eleven hours sooner?_ Sayora thought, thinking about all the time she could've saved. "Alright, let's get you back home now, shall we?" she asked tiredly, reaching her hand down to Naori.

"Onee-chan knows where I live?" Naori asked curiously, grabbing Sayora's hand to hold.

"It's the place surrounded by huge walls that go on forever, right?"

"Wow! Onee-chan's so smart! How did you know?"

"It's a secret."

-----Sawaki and Kimi-----

Sawaki had gone to Kimi's house and called her out for a walk with him despite minor objections from her mother. For the past ten minutes, they had walked in absolute silence, both unsure of what they should say to the other.

Suddenly, the two see Kyo running toward them with an anxious look on his face. He stopped in front of them, completely out of breath. "Do you… do you know where she is?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.

_Must be talking about…_ "Sayora?" Sawaki asked.

"Yeah," he replied tiredly. "She was with you, wasn't she? No one's seen her since she left school around twelve."

Kimi watched Sawaki worriedly, wondering what he was going to decide to do. They _had_, in fact, seen Sayora just moments before with a little girl.

"I…" Sawaki paused. He, too, was wondering what he was going to do. "I'm sorry, but Sayora's not my problem anymore," he decided to say. "I wasn't with Sayora, and I don't know where she is. I can't help you."

They both stared at Kyo who remained standing where he was.

"_Sayora's not my problem anymore."_

Kyo couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Yeah…" He looked up at Sawaki with a small, understanding smile. "Yeah… I got it…" Without another word, Kyo continued his search for Sayora. _I have to hurry and find her!_ he thought. _If I don't, it might be too late and she might be…_ The mere thought of Sayora being gone caused his heart to throb. _Where the hell could she be?!_ Kyo began to panic once again.

"Sawa-chan isn't going to take him to YonYon?" Kimi asked.

"I have no reason to," Sawaki replied. "Besides… I want to be with _you_ right now… Kimi… I'll make you see that you're the only girl I care about."

She laughed. "Kimi doesn't need to be the only girl Sawa-chan cares about," she said. "Kimi just wants to be the one that Sawa-chan cares for the most."

The two stopped walking and looked deeply into each other's eyes. Sawaki leaned his face in, brushing his nose against Kimi's. He then gently placed his lips on Kimi's and kissed her. "I love you, Kimi…" he whispered into her ear. In their own blissful world for the moment, the two kissed each other once more…

-----Sayora and Naori-----

"Well, here we are," Sayora said, she and Naori standing in front of the gate of the Main House. "You know how to get home from _here_, right?"

"Of course I do!" Naori replied.

"You should hurry then. Your family must be worried sick right now."

"Eh? Onee-chan isn't coming too?"

"Sorry Naori-chan, not this time," Sayora replied as she turned to leave. "I have to go home."

"Ah! But!" Naori said, stopping Sayora. "Will I see Onee-chan again?!"

"Don't worry," she assured. "We'll definitely meet again."

Naori smiled. "Okay!" she replied, opening the gate. "Next time, Onee-chan _has _to come meet Onii-chan, okay?"

"It's a promise."

With a final wave from Naori, she went inside the gate and closed it behind her.

-----Meanwhile-----

From a distance, Kyo could see Sayora standing in front of the Main House._ I… I found her…_ he thought as he felt a wave of relief wash over him. _Huh?_ Kyo watched as Sayora turned away and begin to leave. _What is she…? Is she leaving?_ "Hey!! Hold it!!" he shouted as he ran to her as fast as he could.

Sayora didn't even have the chance to turn around when she was grabbed by the arm and pulled back to face Kyo. "Ow!" she cried in pain. "What're you—"

"Just where the hell do you think you're going?!" Kyo asked. "Do you know how worried everyone is?! Were you just going to leave without saying anything to anyone?!"

_W-what the hell is he talking about?!_ Sayora thought.

"Did you think I was just gonna let you leave like that?!" he continued to shout. "You can't just disappear and throw away the people that care about you dammit!! If there's something wrong, you don't have to run away! At least stay and try to work it out first!!"

_He's out of breath and covered in sweat… _she observed. _That couldn't be because he was… searching for _me_, could it?_

"Don't be so stupid…" Kyo said, giving Sayora a pleading look. "If you leave, what am I supposed to do? If you go away… where's that supposed to leave _me_…?"

Sayora's eyes widened at his unexpected words.

"I know that it's all my fault," Kyo said. "That you want to leave and disappear, I know that it's because I kept ignoring you, but—"

"Kyo," Sayora interrupted, trying to explain, "you've got it all wro—"

"Just listen!" Kyo said, cutting her off. "I want you to hear what I've gotta say!" He grabbed Sayora by her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I didn't know if your feelings were real… I was afraid of being rejected again, so I pushed you away to protect myself… but that doesn't matter anymore. I can't keep running away from something just because I'm unsure. I don't want to keep pushing you away… Sayora… I need you here with me…"

Sayora could feel her heart skipping beats; her cheeks felt hot from blushing. She had waited virtually her whole life to hear those last six words from Kyo, and just when she thought there was no chance of it happening, it suddenly did. Her heart was literally aching with happiness.

"Kyo…"

He pulled her into a tight, protective embrace. "Don't leave me…"

Sayora began to cry. "I wasn't going to, Kyo!" she replied, holding him tightly. "I was never planning on leaving from the start!"

The two stood there, embracing each other as if they were inseparable…

-----Momiji, Haru, and Yuki-----

Haru had run into Yuki and Momiji during his search for Sayora, and the three decided to join up and search the neighborhood one more time.

"Ah! Look!" Momiji cried. "There she is!"

"Where?!" Haru asked as he and Yuki looked where Momiji was pointing. _Sayora!_ Haru was about take off, but stopped when he noticed someone standing by her.

"Is that…" Yuki squinted his eyes to see who it was. "Kyo?"

"Ah…" Momiji looked back at Haru. "What're you going to do?"

Haru closed his eyes and smiled. "Let's leave them," he decided.

"Eh?! But weren't you worried about her?" Yuki asked.

"It doesn't matter," he replied, staring at Sayora and Kyo. _She's waited long enough for this moment…_ "The mood looks just about right… if we go to them now, we're just going to ruin their moment."

Yuki and Momiji silently agreed with Haru.

"The only thing that matters is that she's here…" Haru said, almost as if to himself.

"So, what're you going to do?" Yuki asked. "Are you coming back to Shigure's house?"

He shook his head. "Momiji and I will sneak in through the side door."

"I'll call Shi-chan when I get home to tell him everything's okay," Momiji said, back to his usual, cheerful self.

"Ah, that's right. Honda-san must be worried sick by now," Yuki replied. He let out a tired yawn. "Well, I guess I should get going then."

Haru and Momiji nodded as they quietly entered the Main House through the side door and made their way home.

"Say Haru, what will you do about Sayo?" Momiji asked.

"Hm?"

"About that huge fight you two had earlier…" he clarified. "Are you going to apologize?"

Haru shook his head.

"You aren't?" Momiji asked, puzzled by his answer.

"There's no need for an apology," Haru replied. "Everything will be fine the next time we meet." _Just as she doesn't need to call me 'Haru-nii' or 'Onii-chan' to let me know that I'm a brother to her, I don't need to apologize to let her know that I'm sorry… because the two of us have a mutual understanding…_

The two parted when they reached Haru's hosue and Momiji continued home on his own. He was nearly there when he bumped into a little girl.

"Ow!" she cried, stumbling backward.

"Ah, Naori!" Momiji greeted with a huge, cheerful smile, picking her up.

"It's Momiji nii-chan!" Naori replied happily.

"What're you doing out here so late?" he asked. "Your brother is going to get mad if you don't hurry home."

"I got lost home from school!" she explained.

"From school?" he repeated as he quickly texted Naori's brother and put his phone away. "C'mon, Momiji nii-chan will take you to your brother."

Momiji took her hand and led her to a nearby park in the Souma estate.

"Naori!" she heard her brother call, running toward them.

"Ah! Onii-chan!" she exclaimed.

"Where were you?! Everyone was so worried!" he scolded lightly as Naori hugged him. He looked up at Momiji. "Thanks for bringing her here."

"No problem!" he replied as the two headed back home. "Oh yeah, Kan!" Momiji called, Naori's brother turning around. "Tell your mom thanks for the cake she made the other day!"

"Yeah," he replied, watching Momiji run off.

-----Shigure's House-----

Tohru paced back and forth in the living room, her hands fidgeting nervously, waiting for Sayora and Kyo to return.

"Tohru-kun… you're going to pace a whole in the floor," Shigure said with a sweat drop. "Why don't you sit down instead?"

"But I'm worried about Sayora-san and Kyo-kun!" she replied.

"There's no need to worry, Honda-san," Yuki assured for the fifth time. "They should be here any second now."

As soon as those words left Yuki's mouth, everyone could hear the front door opening. Tohru immediately ran out of the living room with Yuki following behind her. When Tohru saw Sayora, she practically lunged herself at the startled wolf, crying out her concern.

Shigure watched with a smile as they all entered the living. All of their tension, their troubles and disputes, their insecurities and concerns… they were all gone. It was as if someone had hit the reset button and allowed them a fresh start, a second chance to make up with each other and return to the way they were before…

-----Few Moments Later-----

Kyo made his way up the ladder to the roof, finding that Sayora was already there when he reached the top.

"Kyo…" Sayora said as she watched him take his seat beside her. "What're you doing up here?"

"Looking for you," he replied.

"Afraid I'll _run off_ again?" she asked jokingly.

Kyo looked away stubbornly. "That's not funny," he mumbled.

"Hm?" Sayora sat up and looked at Kyo worriedly. "Kyo… what's wrong? Are you angry? I was just kidding…"

"Wha?! _Of course_ I'm angry!" he shouted as he turned back to yell in her face. "Do you know how worried I was?! You just suddenly disappeared without a word to anyone!! If I hadn't found you then, who knows where you'd be by now!!"

"Well if you'd listen to what I was trying to tell you earlier…" Sayora replied as she trailed off, waiting for Kyo to calm down. "I ran into a little girl who got lost on her way home from school, and I was just trying to help her find her brother."

"For half a day?" Kyo retorted, not believing her.

"Yes, for half a day," Sayora replied.

Kyo stared at Sayora. "You're serious," he observed.

"Did you think I was lying?" she asked with a small vein popping out of her head.

"Wait… then…" Kyo suddenly blushed with embarrassment.

"_If you go away… where's that supposed to leave _me_…?"_

"_I need you here with me…"_

"I said all that for nothing!"

"Is that what you think?" Sayora asked, staring up at the sky. "I was really glad for the misunderstanding."

"Huh?" Kyo didn't understand what she meant.

"Did you know…?" Sayora turned to look at Kyo with a smile. "In the thirteen years we've known each other, today was the first time you've ever called me by my name…"

Kyo's eyes widened in realization.

"That's why, even though it was just because of a misunderstanding… I'm really happy…"

Suddenly, Sayora felt Kyo grasp her hand.

"Kyo?"

When she turned to face him, their eyes locked and time seemed to stop. A gentle breeze blew past the two of them. The mood was perfect… perfect for their first kiss. Kyo leaned in slightly, and Sayora did the same. However, when their lips were mere centimeters apart, Sayora paused. The curse of the zodiac ran through her mind.

_This… isn't right…_ she thought as she closed her eyes and smiled regrettably, pulling away from Kyo who was puzzled by her actions. He wanted to ask her 'why,' but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. Instead, he also pulled away and returned to his original position, Sayora's hand still in his grasp.

Sayora glanced down at her hand which was held by Kyo and blushed slightly. _It's our hands that are touching but… it's my _heart_ that feels the warmth of his hands… I wonder if we'll be okay like this…_

-----Naori and Kan-----

"While we were lost, that onee-chan bought me food and stayed with me the whole time!" Naori said to her brother who was tucking her into bed.

"You haven't stopped talking about her since you got back," Kan replied.

"She was really nice!"

"I'll have to thank this 'onee-chan' someday for bringing you all the way back home and everything," he said, handing Naori her stuffed bear.

"I wanted Onee-chan to stay and meet Onii-chan, but she said she had to leave," she explained.

"Of course she had to. What time did you think it was? You were lucky she didn't just give up and leave you."

"But she was a bit weird…"

"Weird?" Kan repeated. "How?"

"She was really pretty but she had silver hair," Naori replied.

Kan flinched as his eyes widened in shock.

"Onii-chan?" Naori asked, looking at her brother.

"S-silver hair…?" _It… it can't be… Sayora?!_

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 26- The Chaotic Beach Trip

The eleventh grade class is finally on their long awaited trip to Okinawa. All goes well until everyone decides to sneak out at night to investigate a haunted house in the middle of the woods… and during the investigation, an accident occurs that will reveal the Souma's secret to Sawaki!


	26. NOTICE!

Dear Faithful "Hopeless" Readers,

I've been getting lots of emails and private messages asking me whether this story has been discontinued or not so...

I know it's been forever since I've updated, but I am still working on it! I haven't dropped or given up on this story, and I don't plan to. Even if I **DID** decide to drop this story somehow, I would post up a notification, so as long as there is no official announcement from me **SPECIFICALLY SAYING **that this story is being dropped, expect this story to be updated (be that in a month or in a year)... this chapter got especially delayed due to multiple (personal/family/other) reasons, so I apologize to those of you who have been patiently waiting for the next chapter. I promise that I am working on it (slowly chipping away at the iron wall otherwise known as "writer's block"), so expect this to be updated in the not too distant future (hopefully).

I appreciate the **huge** support that I've continued to receive from both my old fans and my new ones! I started this story shortly after I turned twelve, and this April, I will be turning eighteen :) ... so imagine that! Thanks SO much to everyone who's stuck by this story for SIX years! That takes perserverance lol. And also a huge thanks to everyone else as well! :)

Love,  
Your ever-inconsistant updater -_-''

P.S. Recently, I've developed an interest in making amvs/mmvs (mostly mmvs), so feel free to check them out. Since links don't seem to appear on fanfiction, just type in youtube dot com and paste **/user/schoolgirlxanime** behind it (or search **schoolgirlxanime **on youtube). I appreciate your support on there too :P

Note: Viewing videos directly from my channel seems to lag my videos (don't know if it's just my laptop or what but...) so if you're not too lazy, under the video, there is a **view comments, related videos, and more** link/button/whatever (in blue) that you can click on :P


	27. The Chaotic Beach Trip

**dna-** So... after one year, I've finally finished chapter 26 hahaha........ yeah..... that's really sad..... the wait for the next chapter shouldn't be long since I've finally gotten to a part that's really exciting for me to write! There's about to be some major drama in this story lol (not that there wasn't already some major drama before... :P) As I've said before, thanks to everyone who's still sticking with this story! I'll do my best to get the next chapter out as soon as possible! And if you have time, review! They encourage me xD

And UGHHHHH I just wanna complain... I absolutely HATE it when fanficiton screws up all the exclamation points and question marks... seriously... it's like I can't express the characters' emotions as well as I want to. ($&%)*)%$&^&)*%$ UGH!

**Hopeless Chapter 26- The Chaotic Beach Trip**

"Listen up! This is an end-of-the-year field trip for you eleventh graders, so we want you all to go all out and have fun! However, we expect you to know the limitation of your actions! Don't cause trouble!" Mayuko yelled to the excited and anxious students who stood before her. "Everyone is to be back at the hotel no later than seven! If you're late, you're dead! Now get out there and enjoy yourselves!"

The students cheered and hollered with joy as they all raced down to the beach.

"Man, this is so exciting! I've been waiting for this day for weeks!" Uo exclaimed happily.

"Yes, this is exciting indeed," Hana agreed in her usual, unenthusiastic voice.

Uo turned to Tohru who was grabbing her stuff off the bus. "C'mon Tohru, hurry up!"

"Eh? But—"

"Who cares?" she asked impatiently, pulling her friend along. "You guys better bring our stuff!" she shouted to the Soumas.

A vein popped out of Kyo's head. "What the hell do we look like to you?" he shouted.

"Would you stop being overdramatic and help me carry this?" Yuki asked with a sigh.

"Shut up! I'm not a damn slave!" he retorted. The next thing he knew, he was clobbered by the luggage that Yuki chucked at him.

"Sayora, would you take Honda-san's things?" Yuki asked, handing Tohru's bag to her.

"Why am I included in with you two guys again?" Sayora asked, taking the bag and following Yuki to the beach.

"You goddamn rat!" Kyo growled as he dragged the bags with him down the beach.

Tohru was setting up their spot as the Soumas rejoined them.

"Hey, bagboy, hurry up and give me my bag!" Uo ordered Kyo.

A vein popped out of his head as he chucked her bag at her feet. "What the hell do I look like to you?" he demanded.

"Hey! I've got valuables in there!" Uo shouted.

"Well carry your own bag next time then!"

"Why you!" Uo growled.

Sayora and Yuki sighed at the sight of them. Then suddenly…

"Ahhhh~~~!" Tohru suddenly screamed.

Everyone looked over to see Tohru being dragged into the ocean by the opened beach umbrella being carried away by the wind.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" everyone else screamed, running after her.

"The umbrella! Close the umbrella!" Kyo shouted, panicking.

-----Few Moments Later-----

Kyo and Yuki lay on the sand, exhausted, trying to catch their breath after chasing down Tohru about forty feet out into the ocean. Sayora, who was tired from her attempt to chase after Tohru, was catching her breath as she set up the umbrella.

"You… what the hell were you trying to do?" Kyo asked, his heart still pounding from the shock of Tohru being swept away.

Tohru smiled sheepishly. "The wind was unexpectedly strong…" she replied apologetically.

"Are you trying to blame poor Tohru-kun for your sloppiness?" Hana asked, glaring at Kyo.

"What sloppiness?" he demanded to know.

"_This_ sloppiness!" Uo replied from behind him as she punched the back of his head, making him fall face first into the sand.

"Ahh! Kyo-kun!" Tohru panicked.

Kyo picked his head up and spit out a mouthful of sand angrily. "What the hell was that for, you yankee?" he shouted, a vein popping out of his head.

Sayora walked over and sat down next to Yuki.

"They're always so energetic," Sayora said, lying down on the sand.

A sly smile crept on Yuki's face. "Shouldn't _you_ be energetic too?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at him oddly. "And what's with that look on your face?"

"I saw it all," Yuki said.

"Saw what?"

"That passionate hug under the moonlight."

Sayora's face flushed red in embarrassment. "Y-you saw that?"

"Mmhm," he replied. "So did Haru and Momiji."

"Geez! Didn't you guys have anything else better to do?" she muttered.

"Like what?" Yuki asked. "You suddenly didn't come home. Haru panicked and said that you were going to 'disappear' so everyone thought you were gone. We _had_ to go looking for you."

"And you just _had_ to find me at that exact moment."

Yuki took off the wet shirt that had been clinging irritatingly to his skin.

"Hey, Yuki…" Sayora said as she stared at the passing clouds. "Is this really okay? Me and Kyo…"

Yuki looked at his cousin sympathetically. "Is this about the curse again?"

"Hm?"

"Sayora, no matter what you do, the curse is going to be there."

"Ah, that's not—"

"You always say things like 'it's all over' if you go against the curse, but that's all in your head. You scare yourself and keep getting held back."

Sayora sighed. "You might get angry at me for saying this but… our curse is too different. You wouldn't understand…"

"I think the one who doesn't understand is _you_, Sayora. Everyone is cursed, but you're letting yourself be held back by it."

Sayora didn't reply. Yuki really _had_ misunderstood. It wasn't the curse that made her uneasy at the moment. It was Tohru… whether Kyo had noticed Tohru's feelings for him yet or not was not the problem. The problem was that they both loved him…

"Yuki-kun! Sayora-san!" Tohru called. "Let's all go into the water!"

"Alright," Yuki replied with a smile as he stood up.

Sayora also stood up, unbuttoning her shirt. "I'll be in a second after I change," she said. A sudden wave of uneasiness washing over her caused her to stop and look up. Everyone was staring at her curiously. Sayora sweat dropped. "Wh… what?"

"Ah… n-no!" Tohru stammered. "It's just that—"

"You were always complaining about things that were girly so… the thought of you in a bathing suit is somewhat…" Yuki trailed off, thinking of the right word to use. "… shocking."

"He's right!" Uo agreed playfully. "We figured you were too guyly for a bathing suit!"

"Even if I _was_ guyly, what were you expecting me to wear exactly? Swimming shorts and a shirt?" Sayora replied with another sweat drop.

Everyone nodded in unison.

"You've become a lot more girly," Kyo stated.

At that comment, Sayora looked away and blushed slightly. _Maybe that's because I fell in love… stupid cat…_

"Danger," Hana suddenly said as everyone turned to look at her.

The sound of a bicycle bell turned everyone's attention away from her and to Kakeru who was riding his bike down toward them. "Hey guys! Come bike down the beach with me and Mobaro!" he invited, stopping in front of the group.

"Right now?" Yuki asked. "We're about to go in the water."

"Go in the water?" Kakeru repeated. "Come bike on the walkway with us first! If you go swimming now, the wind's gonna make you too cold to bike in your wet clothes later on!"

"Forget it," Uo replied. "We've already set up our stuff and everything."

"Well it's not like our stuff's gonna run off anywhere…" Kyo muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?" she growled with a vein popping out of her head.

"Ah… calm down you two," Tohru said, trying to stop them from another one of their routine arguments.

"If you wanna go biking so bad, then go on your own!" Uo shouted over Tohru.

"Who the hell said I wanted to go biking in the first place?" Kyo retorted.

"Then why the hell are you arguing with me?"

"I don't know! _You_ started it, damn yankee!"

"Anyways," Sayora said to Kakeru, ignoring the ongoing argument, "are we even allowed to go biking off somewhere? If Sensei finds out, we'll probably get locked up in our rooms."

"It'll be fine!" Kakeru assured. "The president is here to take responsibility!"

"And why am I taking responsibility for _your _actions?" Yuki asked.

"_My_ actions? But if you come, it'll be _your_ actions too," he said with an innocent smile.

Yuki resisted running his trembling fist into Kakeru.

"Ahhhhhh!" everyone heard Sawaki scream. "Kimi-chan, stop! What're you doing? Let go of me!"

"Go faster, Sawa-chan! Faster!" she yelled.

Everybody turned to see Kimi pushing Sawaki's out-of-control bike down the steep sand hill. Suddenly, a loud thump was heard as the front wheel of the bike collided with a small boulder hidden in the sand.

"Ahhhhh!" Sawaki screamed as the bike flipped over and he was thrown into the air.

"Oops," Kimi replied to the situation as she watched her boyfriend fly towards Sayora.

_Oh no!_ Yuki thought, alarmed.

"Sayora-san, watch out!" Tohru yelled.

_Shit!_ Sayora thought.

"Idiot, move!" Kyo shouted.

Next thing Sayora knew, an ironclad grip around her neck abruptly cut off her air supply as she was forcefully slammed, on her back, into the sand. Silence followed. Sayora coughed from the combination of hitting the ground and having the air literally squeezed out of her.

Meanwhile, everyone stared at Kyo and Sawaki, stunned and shocked speechless at what they saw before them. Kyo and Sawaki were so paralyzed with disbelief that they couldn't even move. They only stared at each other, their minds unwilling to register what had just happened.

"O-oh my," Kimi said as snapped a picture of the two, surprised by the unexpected outcome of the situation.

"Kyo-ku…" Tohru trailed off.

"Ow…" Sayora said as she rolled over on her hands and knees, trying to get up. "Honestly Kyo! Couldn't you have been just a _bit_ more gentle? What the hell is your probl—AHHHHHHHH!" she screamed, the hair on her head literally standing up when she looked up to see Sawaki on top of Kyo, their lips locked as they continued to stare at each other in shock.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sawaki finally gathered the strength to lift himself off of Kyo. He stood up, staring down blankly at Kyo who still lay frozen in the sand. Sawaki touched his lips with the tips of his trembling fingers.

"I… and… we… ki-ki-ki-ki-ki…" Sawaki stuttered, unable to speak coherently.

"K-Kyo-kun…?" Tohru knelt down by him. "A-are you okay, Kyo-kun?" No response what-so-ever. "Kyo-kun, snap out of it! Say something!"

"That's no way to wake him up!" Uo said as she dumped a bucket of seawater on Kyo.

"Ahhh!" he screamed as he was abruptly brought back to life and into a sitting position.

"K-Kyo! Are you okay?" Sayora asked, kneeling at his other side.

"That…that bastard really…" Kyo couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. _That was… my first kiss? My first kiss… was with a GUY…? With THAT guy? _Rage suddenly burned in him as he got up in Sawaki's face. "You bastard! You really ki…ki…ki…!"

"Don't even _think_ of saying what you're about to say!" Sawaki yelled, cutting him off.

"C'mon now guys," Kakeru said with a smile, resting an arm on each of his friends' shoulder. "It's just a kiss."

"It was NOT just a kiss!" they both shouted, disgusted by the thought of what just happened.

"Just think of it as a greeting between two manly men!" he suggested.

"I'd rather've broken my beautiful face!" Sawaki shouted.

"Besides," Kakeru continued, looking at Kyo with a sly smirk, "a kiss is a small price to pay for protecting your precious princess."

"Princess? What princess? That manly whatever-she-is is _not_ a princess!" Kyo shouted.

A very large vein popped out of Sayora's head.

"Now _that_," Kyo said, pointing a finger at Yuki, "THAT is a princess!"

Yuki smashed Kyo's face into the sand. "I'm going in the water," he said, walking away.

"Me too. This is so pointless," Uo replied, following Yuki. "C'mon Tohru, let's go."

"Ah… but…"

"Come Tohru-kun," Hana urged. "They will join us soon enough."

"Hey! Where're you guys going?" Kakeru yelled. "What about biking?"

-----Few Moments Later-----

Kakeru had given up on biking and everyone was in the water.

"We should play a game," Sawaki suggested.

"Anyone bring a beach ball?" Uo asked.

"Kimi brought one!" Kimi replied excitedly as she reached into her bag. She pulled out the ball and hurled it toward everyone with both of her hands. Everyone watched as the ball collided into Sawaki's head with a loud and painful crack. Sawaki fell into the water along with the ball, blood spilling from his head.

"Ahhhh! Mobaro-san!" Tohru screamed, panicking.

"We asked for a _beach_ ball! Not a _bowling_ ball!" Sayora shouted with a sweat drop as she turned her attention to her friend. "Hey Sawaki! Are you okay?"

Kakeru turned to Yuki. "Think all that blood will attract any sharks?" he asked, earning a sweat drop from Yuki.

-----Few Moments Later-----

"Let's all play volleyball!" Kimi suggested.

"_Not_ with a bowling ball!" Sawaki quickly replied.

Kimi laughed at her boyfriend. "Sawa-chan is so silly! Who would play with a bowling ball?"

"I wonder…" he mumbled to himself.

"Okay! So what're the teams?" Kakeru asked. "I call captain!"

"I call second captain!" Sawaki announced.

"Pick me, okay Sawa-chan? Pick me!" Kimi yelled excitedly.

"Do I have a choice…?" he asked.

"Hey, hold it. Why the hell do _you_ two get to be captain?" Uo asked.

"Because we're awesome!" Sawaki replied.

"Awesome my ass…" Kyo muttered.

"Yeah? Your ass _will _be awesome… once it gets to know my foot a little better!" he growled, the two getting up in each other's face. "Want to get them acquainted?"

"Thanks but no thanks! How sweet of you to ask though!"

"Not as sweet as our kiss earlier!" Sawaki retorted, puckering his lips at Kyo.

"THAT WAS **NOT** A KISS!" Kyo shouted in denial.

Everyone sweat dropped at the two's pointless argument.

"Do they _ever_ grow up?" Uo asked.

-----Few Moments Later-----

After nearly half an hour of arguing, the teams had finally been chosen. Standing on one side of the net was Sawaki, Kimi, Sayora, and Uo. On the other side stood Kakeru, Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru. Hana managed to escape playing due to the fact that there was an uneven amount of people and therefore volunteered herself to be the referee.

"My, my… it seems like this will be an interesting showdown," Hana said, sitting in the beach chair, shaded from the sun by the large umbrella over her.

The two teams stared at each other intensely, both determined to win over the other team. Suddenly, Kakeru started to chuckle. Everyone looked at him questioningly.

"What the…" Kyo trailed off, looking at his teammate.

"Is he on drugs or something?" Sayora asked rhetorically.

"Kakeru?" Yuki asked, wondering what was wrong.

Kakeru burst out laughing diabolically.

"What the hell's so funny?" Uo demanded to know.

"Let's make a bet!" Kakeru replied. "Whichever team loses becomes slaves for the other team!"

"Wha…?" Yuki began to say, but he was cut off when Sawaki started chuckling.

Everyone turned to look at _him_ this time as he burst out laughing.

"Eh…? Mobaro-san…?" Tohru trailed off, a bit frightened.

"What the hell is this…? A laughing contest?" Sayora asked with a sweat drop.

"You're on Manabe! You're gonna regret making that bet!" Sawaki replied confidently.

"Ha! _You're_ the one who's gonna regret it!" Kakeru exclaimed. "Or are you saying that we're gonna lose to your team of _girls?_!"

An evil smirk crept onto Sawaki's face. "You've _obviously_ never seen Kimi in action before."

"And why the hell would I want to see something like _that_, you pervert?"

A vein popped up on Sawaki's head. "You know that's not what I meant!"

"This is getting ridiculous…" Yuki said.

"What do you expect? Those two are idiots," Kyo replied.

An amused smile found its way to Yuki's face, making Kyo flinch.

"W-what the hell are you smiling about?"

"Oh, nothing," Yuki replied. "Just thinking that it really takes one to know one after all."

"Why you!" Kyo shouted, trembling in anger.

"Ah, calm down Kyo-kun!" Tohru quickly replied.

-----Twenty Minutes Later-----

The volleyball rested in Sawaki's left hand as the two teams stared each other off. Finally, he tossed the ball in the air. "Here I go!" he announced as he jumped and served it.

"I-I got it!" Tohru yelled as she positioned herself under the ball, getting ready to bump it. As the ball fell toward her, she threw her clasped hands up with as much force as possible… completely missing the ball and throwing herself off balance as the ball collided into her face.

"Ah! Tohru!" Kyo freaked out as she hit the ground, knocked-out.

"Honda-san!" Yuki yelled, rushing to her with Kyo.

"Tohru! Are you okay?" Uo shouted as she and Sayora ran to the other side of the net.

"Kimi didn't know Sawa-chan hits girls…" Kimi said, appearing deep in thought.

Sawaki flinched. "It was an accident!" he replied, feeling guilty.

"I know you don't wanna lose but attacking a poor defenseless girl is a bit low, don't you think?" Kakeru asked.

"I said it was an accident!" Sawaki shouted with a vein on his head. "Hm?" He saw something black floating in front of his eyes. "Ahhhhhh!" He screamed in surprise. It was Hanajima's hair. She had appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

"You dare to injure Tohru-kun in my presence?" she asked, towering over Sawaki, creeping him out.

"N-no! Of course not!" he replied.

"Did you know that I can put a lifelong curse on you with my mind?" Hana asked eerily. "Yes… I think that would be the appropriate punishment for injuring poor Tohru-kun."

"Appropriate?" Sawaki asked with a sweat drop, taking a step back away from her. "A bit extreme, don't you think?"

-----Few Minutes Later-----

Kakeru held the ball out in front of him. "Everyone ready?" he asked, looking at his teammates.

"Yes!" Tohru replied with burning determination as she received nervous glances from everyone else.

"Okay! Master serving Servant!" Kakeru tossed the ball in the air and smacked it after a running start.

The ball bulleted to the other side of the net.

"Shit!" Uo exclaimed as she tried to break Kakeru's serve by bumping the ball. However, the ball spun off the side of her arm, flying backwards. "Oi! Get that Sayo!"

"Yeah, I know!" Sayora replied as she dove to save the ball from hitting the ground with another bump, sending the ball back toward her teammates.

"I got it! I got it!" Kimi yelled excitedly as she jumped up toward the ball.

"Haha! This point is as good as ours!" Kakeru shouted as he jumped up to block Kimi's spike. However, his eyes widened in shock the moment Kimi's hand made contact with the ball. All of a sudden, the ball shot like a comet toward his face. "What the FU—?"

**Please excuse this interruption as doctors work diligently to (1) get Manabe Kakeru splattered brain back into his head and (2) save and reconstruct his shattered face. . . . . **

"Hey, Kakeru," he heard Yuki's voice. "Kakeru, can you hear me?"

"Oh no… should we call the teacher?" Tohru asked worriedly as she watched him struggle to try to open his eyes.

"Ehhh? Did that really hurt, Kakeru?" Kimi asked. "Kimi was holding back too…"

_Holding back?_ everyone thought with a sweat drop.

"Manabe, that idiot," Sawaki said. "He should've known better than to try and block Kimi's spikes."

"Like anyone was expecting that kind of power out of her…" Uo mumbled to herself.

Kakeru finally managed to open his eyes again.

"Hey Kakeru, you okay?" Sayora asked as he slowly sat up.

He looked at her, seeming to be puzzled.

"Wh… who are you?" he asked.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"Real funny, Kakeru," Sayora said with a nervous laugh.

"Kakeru… who is that?" he asked.

"It can't be… amnesia?" Yuki asked no one in particular.

"Amnesia? Oh no! That's terrible!" Tohru exclaimed. "What should we do?"

"Uh oh… it's all Kimi's fault…" Kimi said.

"No way… are you serious?" Sawaki grabbed his friend. "Hey! You're kidding right?"

Kakeru gave him a blank look.

"Manabe!"

A large grin appeared on Kakeru's face. "Of _course_ I'm kidding," he replied, sticking out his tongue and pulling down an eye. "You seriously thought that I would get amnesia? How is it possible for _anyone_ to forget the almighty, brilliant, and godly Manabe Kakeru?"

The next thing Kakeru knew, he found his face in the sand. A vein was popping out of Sayora, Sawaki, and Yuki's heads.

"You bastard…" Sawaki said through his teeth.

-----Few Moments Later-----

"Hey! What about the volleyball match?" Kakeru asked as he ran to catch up with everyone else heading to find ice cream.

"Forget it. You ruined the mood," Uo replied.

"But, but! We still have to decide on the loser! Otherwise, who will serve me?"

"As if anyone would serve you even if we _did _lose," Sayora muttered.

"Awwwww, don't be like that Yon-chan!"

A vein popped out of Sayora's head. _It's changed again! My nickname's changed again!_

"You're just being cranky 'cause you lost the perfect chance to make your lover your slave!" he declared.

Sayora's face flushed red. "What do you mean 'lover'?" she shouted.

Tohru looked at Sayora, then at Kyo who blushed slightly. Tohru herself blushed upon seeing Kyo's slight embarrassment. She then looked away.

_Kyo-kun…_ she thought. As dense as she was, even _she_ wasn't oblivious to Sayora's feelings toward him. More than that, she couldn't help but feel that Kyo was also drawn toward Sayora. Without realizing, Tohru let out a small sigh.

"Is there something wrong, Tohru-kun?" Hana asked, looking at her best friend.

"Ah, yes!" she replied. "Ah, I mean no!" she quickly corrected herself.

"You sure nothing's wrong? You seem a bit out of it," Uo said, joining her two friends.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied with a smile.

"Ah, look! The ice cream shop!" Kimi announced excitedly. "C'mon Sawa-chan! Let's go!" she exclaimed as she dragged her boyfriend along with her.

-----In the Ice Cream Shop-----

"Wahhhh! There're so many flavors!" Kimi said excitedly, looking at the ice cream. "Buy some for me, Sawa-chan!"

"Alright," Sawaki replied with a smile, walking over to her. "Which one do you want?"

"All of them!" she exclaimed, earning a sweat drop from Sawaki.

"Buy some for me too, _Sawa-chan_~!" Kakeru pleaded in a sweet, girly voice, hugging his friend from behind.

A chill ran through Sawaki's entire body. "Ew! Buy your own, you freak! Get off of me!" he yelled as he tried to get away.

"Kakeru has to find his _own_ sugar daddy," Kimi said with her usual smile as she nailed Kakeru in the ribs, making him fall over onto the floor in pain.

"H-hey… are you trying to call me a perverted old man?" Sawaki asked with a sweat drop.

Meanwhile, everyone watched the three, wondering how much more childish they could get.

"What would you guys like to order today?" one of the clerks asked the group.

Uo was the first to walk up to the counter. "I'll take two scoops of cookies 'n cream," she ordered.

The clerk got the ice cream and handed it to her. Uo quickly put a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and swallowed happily. "_Man_ that's so refreshing!"

"May I help the next person?" the clerk asked.

"I'll have a scoop of chocolate," Hana said as she walked up to the counter.

"Chocolate?" the clerk repeated with a friendly smile, making sure she heard right.

"Yes, chocolate…" Hana replied as her presence began to tower over the nervous clerk. "The darkness of its color is almost able to match the darkness of my heart, just as how its iciness is able to match my heart as well. And not only does it perfectly capture the image of my heart, it is also the essence of my soul. Yes… chocolate is the perfect flavor."

"Y… yes… I see…" the clerk replied with a sweat drop as she moved away to get Hanajima her ice cream.

"I can help the next customer over here!" another clerk announced as she stood at the next register.

Yuki went to place his order.

"Hmm… wonder what flavor I should get…" Sayora mumbled to herself, looking at all the different flavors. "What're _you_ gonna get?" she asked, turning to Tohru who was rummaging around in her small purse.

"Eh? What was that you said, Sayora-san?" she asked, looking up.

"What's wrong?" Sayora asked, not answering Tohru's question. "Looking for something?"

"Oh… it seems that I've misplaced my wallet…" she replied, focusing her attention back on her purse.

"Your wallet?" Sayora repeated.

_-----Earlier Today-----_

"_Oi! Are you guys done? Hurry up!" Kyo yelled from the front door where he and Yuki were waiting for the two girls. _

"_Yes! Coming!" Tohru replied as she rushed down the stairs with her bag. _

"_Bye, you two," Shigure said as the two passed the living room. "Have fun!" _

"_Oh no!" Tohru suddenly exclaimed as she walked back, heading toward the kitchen. _

"_Hey, Tohru! What're you doing?" Sayora called, following after her. _

_Tohru set her things on the kitchen counter and grabbed the bowl of food sitting nearby, taking it to the fridge. "I don't want the food that I made for Shigure-san to sit out and spoil."_

"_It won't spoil _that _fast," Sayora replied. "C'mon! We've gotta go!"_

_Tohru hurriedly grabbed her things and rushed back down the hall. _

"Wasn't that what happened?" Sayora asked.

"Ah! That's right! I left my wallet on the kitchen counter!" she exclaimed as she turned to her friend. "That's amazing, Sayora-san! Truly amazing! You should become a detective!"

_Should you be excited about forgetting your wallet?_ Sayora thought to herself with a sweat drop.

"You forgot your wallet?" Kyo, who had overheard their conversation, asked as he walked up to Tohru. "I'll pay for you then."

"Oh, no!" Tohru quickly and humbly objected. "I wouldn't dare to impose such a burden on you!"

"_What_ burden?" he asked with a sweat drop. "Relax, it's not a big deal. It's only a few dollars."

"Well… if you say so… but are you sure Kyo-kun? I mean—" Tohru quieted herself when Kyo put his hand on her head.

Sayora silently watched the two of them absentmindedly. Memories from the night before replayed itself in her mind. She could still feel the warmth of his hand on hers… but more than that, she could still feel his soft breath on her lips from when their faces were mere centimeters apart.

_It almost feels like a dream…_ she thought to herself, watching Kyo and Tohru as she felt a strange and unexplainably tight feeling across her chest.

"Don't worry about it," Kyo said, ruffling Tohru's hair, messing it up on purpose. She stared up at him, blushing slightly. Somehow, it seemed as if Kyo was being more gentle with her today than usual. "Hurry up and go choose your flavor or whatever already."

"Ah, yes!" she replied, pulling herself together as she turned around and cheerfully walked over to the counter.

"Hey, stupid wol—ah… I mean…" Kyo trailed off and took a nervous gulp before calling her name for the second time. "Sa…" he trailed off once more. Kyo hadn't noticed that he had never _once_ called Sayora by her name until she pointed it out last night. All of a sudden, her name seemed like taboo. Calling her by her name suddenly felt like the hardest and most embarrassing thing he had ever had to do in his entire life. Kyo took a deep breath and sighed. This was ridiculous. There was no reason to get so worked up about calling her by her name. "Sayora," he said casually, forcing her out of her thoughts.

She looked up at him, not responding right away. _Did he just call me by…_ Her own name suddenly sounded so foreign to her ears, but it was a feeling she wouldn't mind getting used to. "Um, w-what is it?"

"I'll buy ice cream for you, too," he replied as he suddenly felt shy again, unintentionally avoiding eye contact with Sayora. "Hurry up and go pick which one you want."

"Eh? Why?" she asked innocently.

"W-what?" he asked, looking at Sayora in surprise. He had been caught off guard. Kyo wasn't expecting Sayora to question his intentions. "What do you mean _'why'_? I'm offering, so just accept it, okay?"

"No, no, it's fine," Sayora replied, oblivious to his flustering. "I have my wallet right here. I can pay for myself."

"I'm telling you, I'll pay!" Kyo replied.

"Really, it's fine," she assured him.

Kyo looked away. "Just let me pay, okay, you stubborn wolf?"

It was then that Sayora _finally _caught on. "Oh… r-right…" she replied, feeling herself blush again as she glanced at Kyo's embarrassed face. _I'm so dense!_ she scolded herself, quickly walking over toward the counter to see which flavor she wanted…

Sayora could feel her face getting hot as she stared intently at the differently flavors, lost in thought once more. She glanced over in Tohru's direction as Kyo made his way over to her. She watched the way Tohru acted: blushing, being embarrassed at the little things Kyo said, becoming flustered…

_**I'm sorry Tohru… but I want him…**_

"Hey, you pick what you wanted yet?" Kyo asked as he and Tohru walked over to her.

"Nope, not yet," Sayora replied.

"Everyone's ready to leave," he informed her. "Hurry up."

_**More than anything else in this world… I need this person by my side…**_

-----Later—Boy's Side-----

Sawaki looked out the window of the hotel the students were staying in. "Man, I seriously wanna go to that amusement park right now…" he sighed, staring at the bright neon lights shining from the other end of the beach.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Kakeru asked.

"What's wrong?" Sawaki repeated, giving his friend a weird look. "Don't you think it's lame that we can't leave the hotel after seven? I mean, look at all the fun we could be having out there right now…" he replied, looking out the window again.

Suddenly, the door to their room opened. "Enough complaining already," Mayuko said with a vein popping out of her head. "If you can sit there and complain, then hurry up and get your ten hours of sleep."

"But—" Sawaki began to object.

"Now!" his teacher ordered, slamming the door shut.

A vein popped out of Sawaki's head as he muttered to himself, getting himself into bed. Kakeru watched his friend and let out an amused laugh.

"What the hell're you laughing at?" Sawaki asked moodily.

"Nothing, nothing," Kakeru replied as he tried to hold back more laughs. "It's just that you remind me of a little kid."

Another vein popped out of Sawaki's head. "Shut up, you—"

"Wanna hear an interesting story?" Kakeru asked, cutting his friend off.

"What interesting story?" he muttered, still in a bad mood as he adjusted himself in his bed.

"Apparently, there's a haunted house in the woods a little off the coast of the beach," he said, getting Sawaki's attention. Sawaki looked up to see a mischievous grin on Kakeru's face. "So… what do you think?"

-----Two Seconds Later-----

The door to Yuki and Kyo's room burst open, startling the room's two occupants.

"Wake up!" Kakeru and Sawaki yelled obnoxiously.

Kyo trembled in anger. His face was soaked with the water should've been in the cup in his hand, had it not been for the sudden interruption. "What the hell?" he shouted, water dripping off his hair and face.

"Would you two quiet down?" Yuki demanded in a hushed voice. "What're you doing here?"

"Taking you guys to investigate a haunted house!" Kakeru replied.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kyo asked, drying off his face with a towel.

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Sawaki urged.

"It's stupid!" Kyo retorted, not interested.

"Don't be so uptight! We're gonna bring the girls too!" Kakeru said excitedly.

"That's right! This could be your chance to be alone in the dark with _you-know-who_," Sawaki teased.

"Which one?" Kakeru asked, chuckling.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS COULD BE MY CHANCE?" Kyo screamed, his face flushing red as he flung the towel into Sawaki's face, turning to leave. "I'M DEFINITELY NOT GOING!"

"**Chicken,"** Sawaki replied, stopping Kyo where he was.

Yuki sweat dropped. _The two masters of manipulation… versus the idiot cat…_ he thought, knowing that Sawaki and Kakeru had already won.

"If you're afraid of going, just say so…," Sawaki continued in a taunting voice. "Actually… what _are _you scared of? The girl or the ghost?" He glanced at the angry Kyo out of the corner of his eye, knowing that he had Kyo right where he wanted him. "Well, it doesn't really matter either way. A chicken's a chicken. Just didn't figure you to be a **loser**. I mean, being scared of ghosts is one thing, but a _girl_? Now _that's_ **pathetic.**"

Kyo's fist landed through the wall beside him, his eyes glowing red. "Who said I was scared? I'll show _you_ who's pathetic!"

Sawaki gave a thumbs up and a victorious smile to Kakeru.

"Yes!" Kakeru exclaimed, turning to Yuki. "Let's go!"

"Who said I was going?" Yuki asked as the others were about to leave. "You guys can go by yourselves. I'm not as simple-minded as that idiot over there," he said, referring to Kyo.

"Stop being such a little girl," Kakeru replied mockingly. "I know appearances can be deceiving, but in your case, it's right on the mark. Just 'cause you look like a girl doesn't mean you have to act like one too, you know?"

A massive vein bulged out of Yuki's head, his presence towering over his friend. **"Fine. Let's go."**

-----Couple Minutes Later-----

The four boys had snuck out of their rooms and were making their way over to the girl's side from the outside. Yuki felt like slapping himself as he followed them. _How did I let this happen to me…?_ he wondered.

"Hey, what room are they in?" Sawaki asked Kakeru.

"What? I thought you knew!" he replied.

"Would you two stop shouting? Someone's going to hear us!" Yuki asked irritatedly in a hushed voice.

"_Hey! Did you guys just hear something?"_ the boys suddenly heard Sayora's voice ask.

"_Eh?"_ came Tohru's voice.

"_Come to think of it… I think it came from by the window…"_ It was Uo this time.

Kakeru looked at Yuki. "Good thing we were shouting," he replied.

Yuki slapped his forehead. _I can't believe this is happening…_

As the boys made their way over to the room where the voices were coming from, they heard Hana speak. _"I sense ominous waves approaching us…"_

"_Waves? You mean there's more than one?"_ Uo asked.

"_A cat and mouse…"_

Kyo and Yuki flinched and sweat dropped when they heard Hana.

"_A cat… and a mouse?"_ Tohru and Sayora repeated.

"_What about the other two?"_ Uo asked.

A long pause…

"_Ah! Hana-chan! Are you alright?"_ Tohru's frantic voice asked.

"_How odd… this has never happened before…"_ Hana replied in a weak voice. _"It's painful trying to concentrate on them. This can only mean the other two are incredibly brainless."_

Yuki and Kyo fought to hold back their snickers as a vein popped out of the other two's heads. Ignoring what he had just heard, Sawaki started to fiddle around with the window, attempting to open it.

"Eh…?" The light suddenly turned off and the room was suddenly silent as Sawaki ever so slightly opened the window.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Just open the damn window," Kyo said as he shoved Sawaki in.

"Ah! Hey—!" Sawaki was abruptly interrupted by a hard object smashing into the top of his head.

The light turned on again as the other three boys climbed into the room through the window, looking at the nearly dead Sawaki who had blood pooling out of his head.

"Oh… the pervert…" Uo said, looking down at Sawaki.

"Kyo-kun! Yuki-kun!" Tohru cried in surprise

Kyo looked at the baseball bat in Uo's hand and sweat dropped. "Why are you carrying something like that around? That's dangerous you know…"

"It's so that I can defend myself against perverts like you guys," she replied.

"Do I look like a pervert to you?" he asked.

_Cat, mouse, and two idiots… _Sayora thought. "You're sixth sense whatever-you-call it is incredible…" she said to Hana, impressed.

"Sorry, did we startle you, Honda-san?" Yuki asked.

"Yes! Very much!" Tohru replied, panicking. "Ah… I mean… uh… b-but! Why are you two on the girl's side of the hotel? C-c-could it be that you plan t-t-to… b-b-but this is…"

"No, no, calm down Honda-san!" Yuki quickly replied, having no idea what was going through Tohru's mind.

"See what you did? Now she thinks we're here to… do… perverted things!" Kyo shouted at Uo, trying to choose his words.

"Well, you _did_ come for perverted reasons," Kakeru teased.

"No I didn't!"

"Anyway, where's Kimi? She's not with you guys?" he asked, ignoring Kyo completely.

"She went to get snacks," Sayora answered. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Snacks _this_ late?"

"Will you answer my question dammit?"

"Don't worry, Yon-chan. It's not what you were hoping for," he replied.

A vein popped out of Sayora's head, but before she could yell at Kakeru, the door to their room slammed open.

"Kimi's ba~~ck!" she announced cheerfully. "Eh? What's wrong?"

Everyone nearly had a heart attack, thinking that it was a teacher that had entered.

"And why's Kimi's boyfriend dying on the floor?" she asked, looking at Sawaki who was lying in his own pool of blood, still slumped halfway over the window.

"He made a noble sacrifice for us all!" Kakeru replied dramatically.

"Can you just tell us why you're here already?" Sayora asked.

"We're all gonna go to a haunted house!" he finally answered.

"Yay, a haunted house!" Kimi yelled excitedly.

"A haunted house?" Sayora repeated, happening to glance at Tohru. At that moment, Sayora sweat dropped. Tohru had gone pale and was trembling. "I don't think that's such a great idea…"

"Don't tell me you're _scared_!" Kakeru taunted, getting ready to put his manipulative powers to use.

"That's not it!"

"It's alright, Sayora-san! Let's go to the haunted house!" Tohru said with fierce determination, causing Yuki and Kyo to sweat drop.

"That's right. That's the spirit, Tohru-kun," Hana praised in a soothing voice. "A haunted house isn't scary at all. It's just like home."

_Who's home?_ the three Soumas wondered.

-----Few Moments Later, In the Woods-----

Everyone stood before the massive building in front of them.

"Who the hell said this was a haunted _house_?" Sayora asked with a sweat drop as she stared up at the mansion towering over them.

"_Man_ this house is huge," Uo said.

"Feels just like home," Hana replied.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Kimi said excitedly as she pulled her boyfriend toward the house.

"Ah! Wait!" Sawaki said as he almost fell over.

"HELLO~~~!" Kimi yelled into the house as she slammed the door open.

"Anybody ho~me?" Kakeru shouted as he followed the two in.

"H-hey! Should you be shouting like that?" Sayora asked with a sweat drop. "What if someone really lives here?"

"I'm sure the ghosts are used to it!" he replied jokingly.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Uo said to Tohru and Hana. "This is gonna be fun!"

"Are you okay, Tohru-kun?" Hana asked.

"A-ah! Y-y-yes! L-let's go!" she replied with way too much enthusiasm as she ran in behind the others.

"What's wrong boys? Scared?" Sayora taunted, glancing at her two cousins out of the corner of her eye.

"Scared my ass," Kyo immediately replied with a smug look on his face as he went into the house, Yuki and Sayora following after him.

The amount of light became dimmer and dimmer as the group made their way deeper into the house.

"Oi, I can't see anything," Uo said. "Anyone bring a flashlight?"

"Who the hell would bring flashlights into a haunted house?" Kyo asked.

"Smart people," Yuki replied.

"I guess that rules _you_ out," Kyo muttered.

Tohru screamed, latching onto Hana's arm, frightened by the loud bang and Kyo's startled yell.

"What the hell is your problem?" Kyo angrily shouted at Yuki who had punched him in the gut.

"There, there, Tohru-kun," Hana said, patting Tohru in an attempt to comfort her.

"Can you two behave like normal people?" Sayora asked with a vein popping out of her head, feeling sorry for Tohru.

"What the hell're you blaming _me _for?" Kyo asked. "_He's _the one who started it!"

"What are you? In grade school? And I wasn't blaming your for anything!" she shouted back.

"Can you guys be quiet?" Sawaki asked. "We're supposed to be in a haunted house."

"Yes, you guys should be quiet," Hana agreed.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" Kyo retorted.

"That wasn't my opinion. It was the opinion of the spirits you disturbed with your quarreling," she informed, sending a chill through everyone's spines. "Ah, but no need to worry, Tohru-kun," Hana quickly said when she felt her friend trembling. "Even if the others are cursed, you are safe with me… you too, Arisa," she added as an afterthought.

"Did I say I was scared?" Uo asked with a sweat drop.

Kimi sighed loudly. "This is so bo—ring," she whined.

"I know, right?" Kakeru replied, agreeing with his friend. "I expected this to be more exciting."

Kimi took in a deep breath. "HELLOOOOO! IF THERE'RE ANY GHOSTS, HURRY AND COME HAUNT KAKERU BEFORE WE LEEE—AVE!" she shouted as loudly as she could, her voice echoing through the house.

"H-hey!" Kakeru sweat dropped in response. "Why _me_?"

"Eh? But… didn't Kakeru say he was bored?"

"But… _you_ said that, too!"

"You should've known better," Sawaki said in a matter-of-factly tone of voice.

"This is so stupid. We can't even see where we're going," Kyo complained as the group ventured on.

"Aren't there any light switches in this house?" Yuki asked no one in particular.

"WAHHH!" Tohru screamed, startling everyone.

"Honda-chan! What's wrong?" Sawaki asked, alarmed.

"Honda-san!" Yuki abruptly stopped, trying to locate Tohru.

"Tohru! Where are you?" Kyo demanded to know.

"It's alright! I've got her!" Sayora answered, holding onto her. "Are you okay?"

"Ah, yes," she replied. "Sorry, Sayora-san."

"What happened?" Sawaki asked.

"I tripped over something…" she trailed off, embarrassed.

"This is getting rather dangerous," Yuki said. "Maybe we should leave."

"Yeah, especially since we can't see anything…" Sayora agreed.

"Yeah, I agree too," replied Sawaki. "Hey Manabe, Kimi, let's leave, okay?"

There was no answer.

"Oi, Manabe, Kimi," he called again.

"Don't tell me… we got separated from them…" Yuki sighed.

"Great," Kyo muttered before suddenly realizing something. "Come to think of it… I haven't heard that yankee and the psychic for a while now…"

"Ah! Oh no!" Tohru panicked, realizing that he was right. "Uo-chan! Hana-chan!"

-----The Other Group-----

"OW!" Kimi cried as she kicked something. "What's this wall doing here?"

"You alright?" Kakeru asked. "You need to be more careful."

"How can _anyone_ be careful?" Uo wondered. "I can't even see my hand in front of my face."

"What about mine?" he asked, slamming his hand into the side of Uo's head by accident.

"Ow! That hurt dammit!"

Kakeru laughed. "Sorry, sorry."

"Oh my…" Hana said. "It seems as if we've split up with Tohru-kun and the others…"

Uo's eyes widened in shock. "W… what…?"

"Wait… what do you mean by 'the others'?" Kakeru asked.

"As in Tohru-kun and the Soumas," Hana answered.

"Sawa-chan! Sawa-chaaaa—n!" Kimi called. "Hey, Kimi's boyfriend is missing too," she informed Hana after getting no reply.

"So it would seem…"

-----Tohru and Company-----

The group stood in place, trying to decide what to do.

"I think we should just try to get out of here," Sayora said.

"But, what about Uo-chan, Hana-chan, and the others?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"If they're smart, they'll hurry up and get out of here, too," she replied.

"But they have Kimi and Kakeru," Yuki pointed out.

"But they also have Saki," Sayora pointed out as well.

"Hey… did you just imply that my girlfriend is dumb?" Sawaki asked Yuki with a sweat drop.

"Who cares what the hell they decide to do?" Kyo asked, getting irritated with the fact that they were standing there doing nothing. "It's not like they're gonna stay in here forever. Once they get bored, they'll leave."

"I agree with Kyo," Sayora replied.

"I suppose you're right…" Tohru trailed off.

"Sorry to have to be the one to bring this up but… we can't even see where we're going," Sawaki said. "Which way is out?"

"Just walk. I'm sure there's a back door or something," Sayora replied as she started walking off.

"Hey Sayora, wait! Don't just walk off! We'll just get separated again!" Yuki said as he quickly attempted to follow his cousin.

"Ah! Wait for me too!" Tohru replied, running over towards Yuki's voice.

"Hey! Hold on! Where're you guys?" Kyo asked as he walked toward everyone.

"Sayora! Wait up!" Sawaki called as he, too, rushed in the direction of the voices.

"I know already! I'm waiting!" Sayora replied, sounding annoyed.

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud, unpleasant sounding creak on the floor where they all stood. Before they had time to react to anything, the floor gave way and broke, sending everyone crashing down to the floor below.

The moonlight shined through the small window and dimly illuminated the room they had fallen into. Everyone lay where they were, in pain from the fall.

"Is… is everyone okay?" Yuki asked as he unsteadily tried to get back on his feet.

"S-somehow…" Tohru replied as the dust around everyone began to clear.

"What the hell's all this fuzzy stuff?" Kyo asked as he grabbed the clump of fur under his hand and took a closer look at it. His jaw instantly dropped in disbelief, immediately realizing that it wasn't a clump of fur, but a tail in his hand. He turned to look at Yuki, holding up the tail and doing his best to _silently_ freak out to his cousin. Yuki's reaction to the situation was nothing less then Kyo's.

"Eh? Kyo-kun? Yuki-kun? What's wrong?" Tohru wondered as she looked to them, seeing the tail that Kyo held up in his hand. _AHHHHHHH!_ she screamed in her head, panicking over what had just happened.

"Ow…" Sayora muttered as she tried to move. "Whoever's on top of me, would you get the hell off?"

"Sorry," Sawaki apologized as he steadily recovered from the fall and began to move himself off of Sayora. However, he looked down at what was beneath him and froze.

"What's the hold up? Hurry up already!" Sayora looked back at the person on top of her and froze as well.

Everyone stood where they were in silence, unsure of what reaction was appropriate for the situation.

"Ha… haha… a wolf… but… just now was… Sayora's voice…" Sawaki said nervously, trying to make sense of what was going on. "… That can't be…… that's right… I must be imagining things…" He ever-so-slightly shifted his hand and looked over to see what was under it. "…… Sayora's… clothes…?"

"M-Mobaro-san…" Yuki started to say.

"Oh my god…!" Sawaki's eyes widened as if in realization. "Y-you've been cursed by the ghosts, Sayora!" he yelled, horrified as he got to his feet and looked down at the wolf.

"T-that's right! Sayora-san got cursed!" Tohru went along enthusiastically. "Ah! But not the Souma curse! This is different! This is a ghost's curse!"

_That's… too much detail, Honda-san!_ Yuki thought hopelessly.

"Hey, do something!" Kyo hissed as quietly as he could at Sayora.

"A-awoooooooooooh!" Sayora howled as wolf-like as she could.

_It's all over…_ Yuki thought, burying his face in his hand.

"Souma curse?" Sawaki repeated, looking up at Tohru. "What's that?"

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" she replied, over-denying his question.

"Awooooooooh! Ah-ah-ah-awoooooh!" Sayora continued to howl.

"It's definitely not nothing!" he argued, looking to Yuki and Kyo. "What does she mean?"

"Why the hell're you asking _me_?" Kyo shouted.

"Because! Honda-chan said 'Souma curse' and you're a Souma!" he shouted back.

"A-ah! It's something that Shigure-san created for a story he was writing!" Tohru quickly replied with a sheepish look on her face.

"Awoohhhhh!"

"You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"

"She already said that it was nothing! Just leave her alone!" Kyo shouted.

"But what about _that_?" Sawaki demanded, pointing at the wolf that was still howling in the background.

"What _about_ that? You said it yourself! You're just imagining things! She—it never said anything!"

"You just said 'she'!"

"No I didn't!" Kyo denied.

"Yes you did! You don't really think I'm dumb enough to think that this is some ghost's doing, do you?"

"Awooooooh!"

"B-but, Hana-chan warned us earlier about being cursed! So! So…!" Tohru didn't know what to say next.

"There's **no way** a ghost did _that_!"

"You're just overthinking things!" Kyo argued.

"Awoo—" _POOF!_ "…ooh…?"

Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru all sweat dropped nervously as everyone looked over toward the sound. The smoke cleared to reveal a silver-haired girl sitting where the wolf had been standing, howling, just seconds before. Sayora looked back at everyone nervously, blushing a deep shade of red, thoroughly embarrassed at sitting there naked and being stared at by three guys.

"W… what the hell're you guys looking at?" she screamed, startling them.

"S-sorry!" they replied as they quickly looked away.

-----Few Moments Later-----

"There's **no way** you're going to explain your way out of this by telling me it was some ghost's curse, so don't even think about it," Sawaki said, determined to get an honest answer out of everyone.

"But—"

"It's alright Honda-san," Yuki said, interrupting her. "He's right. There's no point in lying anymore."

"Ugh, I can't believe this," Kyo said, sighing tiredly.

"Sayora…" Sawaki looked her straight in the eye. "What the hell is going on?"

Sayora looked at him uncomfortably, then looked away sighing heavily. "Tohru said it earlier… it's a curse."

A vein popped out of Sawaki's head. "I thought I told you not to give me that bullshit!"

"I'm not done talking yet!" Sayora shouted, a vein also popping out of her head. "It's a Souma family curse," she explained. "There're fourteen of us in all. When we're hugged by a person of the opposite sex, we turn into an animal."

Everyone stood in silence, expecting some sort of response from Sawaki.

"… Aren't you going to say anything…?" Sayora asked, wondering why he was so quiet.

"What the hell am I _supposed_ to say?" Sawaki asked, honestly not knowing how to react. It was true that he was shocked and that he still had a hard time believing everything that had just happened, but he couldn't deny something that he saw with his own two eyes. He looked at Yuki and Kyo. "Does that mean that you two are also…" Sawaki received his answer when they both looked away, embarrassed.

Sayora flinched when Sawaki looked at her, seeming to be angry. "Sa… Sawaki…?"

"What the hell…" he said quietly, looking away. "This is too much…"

"Um… Mobaro-san…" Tohru said as Sawaki looked at her. "You mustn't tell anyone about this. If… if you do—"

"Relax, I don't need to be told to keep my mouth shut," he replied, looking away once again.

"Mobaro-san…"

-----Few Moments Later-----

Everyone stood outside of the haunted house. The walk had been a silent and uncomfortable one. Sawaki's seemingly angry reaction caused everyone to worry and wonder what was running through his mind, especially Sayora.

"So… I guess we'll just wait for everyone here," Yuki said.

"I'm heading back to the hotel first," Sawaki said, leaving without waiting for a reply from anyone.

"W-wait. What about Kimi?" Sayora asked.

"Just tell her something."

Everyone watched as Sawaki disappeared into the forest they had come through earlier.

"Well _that_ was unexpected," Kyo said.

"I wonder if he's okay…" Tohru said, sounding worried.

"Of all the people that could've found out, I figured he would be the one who would be able to take it best…" Yuki commented.

Sayora stared off into the woods where Sawaki had disappeared. She would never readily admit it, but his reaction had hurt her.

_What the hell kinda reaction was _that_?_ she thought bitterly, clenching her fists. She frowned. "I'm heading back! You guys wait for the others!"

"Ah, Sayora-san! Wait!" Tohru called as she tried to go after her friend.

However, she was stopped by Yuki. "Leave them be, Honda-san."

"But…"

Kyo watched Sayora run off. _That idiot…_

-----Sayora-----

"Sawaki! Hold on! We need to talk!" Sayora yelled as she chased after him through the woods. "Sawaki!"

"Oh, so _now_ you wanna talk?" he asked bitterly, not stopping.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean? What're you so mad about?"

"Leave me alone!"

"What the hell!" Sayora ran up to Sawaki and grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "I said wait!"

"Let go!" he shouted, angrily turning back to face her.

"I know this is hard for you to accept, but it's hard for me too, okay? You weren't supposed to find out!"

Sawaki roughly pulled his arm out of Sayora's hand. "You're right. This is hard for me to accept, but that's not the problem."

She frowned, feeling as if his words sparked a fire in her. "If you're so disgusted, then fine! I can just have Hatori erase your memories!"

"That's not it! What pisses me off is that you didn't trust me enough to let me know!"

Sayora's mouth dropped in disbelief.

Sawaki sighed and frowned, feeling annoyed with himself for being irritated. "How long have we known each other dammit?" he asked, clenching his fists. "And not just you… even Asaru… even when it was just the three of us… why was I the only one left out? Aren't we supposed to be like family? Couldn't you have at least trusted me enough to keep my mouth shut?"

"This has nothing to do with trust!" Sayora replied.

"I know! I know that this isn't just something you tell people. I know that!" he yelled. "I'm just… being selfish and childish right now…"

"Sawaki…"

"It just feels infuriating… I feel like the reason you and Asaru couldn't tell me was because you both felt you couldn't confide in me…" He frowned once again. "Even if you were scared of what my reaction would've been, couldn't you guys have shown just a little bit more confidence in me? Did you think that I would be so closed-minded as to not be able to accept the truth? You guys should know me better than that…"

Sayora stayed quiet for a moment. She didn't want Sawaki to be hurt by a misunderstanding. "Do you understand what it's like to live with the fear of losing everyone around you…?" Sawaki looked up at her. "If someone finds out about the Souma curse, their memories must be erased. That's the rule created to protect our secret… or so they say. The real reason for this rule is to protect our 'bond'. Any outsider that gets too close to the Jyuunishi threatens the ties that bind us to God, and that's the one thing those in the main family don't tolerate."

"What?" Sawaki asked, not understanding.

"It's not that Asaru and I didn't trust you, Sawaki…" she continued without clarifying herself. "If we told you and the head of the family were to find out that you knew, your memories would've been ordered to be erased. And _then_ what? You would've forgotten about me along with Asaru."

Sawaki's eyes widened in realization. _It was protect our relationship..._

"We keep this secret to protect ourselves; we distance ourselves from other people in order to avoid forming those connections that are so easily broken… in the Souma family where the chains that bind people together are so easily disconnected, getting close to other people is a very scary thing," Sayora explained. "We don't tell anyone because we're afraid of losing the people close to us. If you're selfish for wanting to know, then we're also selfish… because we instinctively only think about protecting ourselves…"

"Sayora…"

"Once you get a taste of freedom—what it's like to live unbound by the curse—… it's truly indescribably painful to have that taken away. It's _suffocating_…"

Sawaki looked at Sayora sympathetically, ashamed of his ignorance to her situation. "Sorry…" he apologized. "It's just that… I suddenly felt like an idiot for being the only one out of the loop."

"I know… I told you all of this because I didn't want you to be hurt by a misunderstanding," she replied. "Though… you _are _an idiot."

A vein popped out of Sawaki's head. "Excuse me?" However, a painfully remorseful look from Sayora caused him to flinch. "Ah…"

"Why would you feel like an idiot over something you have no control over?" she asked. "Idiot…"

Sawaki looked away. "I know… I really am…"

-----Few Moments Later-----

Sayora and Sawaki heard some commotion from the hotel as they emerged from the woods.

"Isn't that… Kimi and the others?" Sawaki asked, squinting his eyes to get a better look from where he stood.

"Probably," Sayora replied with a shrug. "I mean, who else would it be?"

As the two took a step toward the hotel, they heard an angry voice start shouting from there, making them both flinch. "What do you girls think you're doing, sneaking off with a bunch of guys in the middle of the night? And you guys! You're _guys_ for God's sake! Show some restraint!"

"N-no way… they got caught?" Sayora asked, surprised.

"Dumbasses," Sawaki muttered as he grabbed Sayora and pulled her away.

"H-hey! What're you doing?"

"Would you shut up before they hear you?" he hissed. "There's no way I'm getting caught with them! We're sneaking in through the side door!"

"My, my… how very loyal of you…" she replied with a sweat drop.

The two of them turned to the side of the hotel, only mere inches from the side door of the hotel when an all too familiar voice stopped them in their tracks. "Going somewhere?" Mayuko asked her two students in a calm but deadly sounding tone.

"S-sensei……" Sawaki greeted with a sheepish smile as he and Sayora turned around.

-----Next Morning-----

"I can't believe we got let off without any punishment," Sawaki said as he and the group sat under the sun, enjoying the nice weather at the beach.

"It's all because of YunYun's _sPecIaL iNfLuEnCeS_!" Kimi replied with her usual cheerfulness.

"Don't say it like that," Yuki said with a sweat drop.

"But it's true!" Kakeru replied with a laugh. "Why _else_ do you think I invited you along—ARGGHHHHHHHH!" He clutched his stomach in pain from where Yuki had nearly punched a hole through.

"Eh? Eh? Does it hurt?" Kimi asked as she poked her friend where he had been punched.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Kakeru flinched in pain from each poke. "YES IT HURTS YOU CRAZY WOMAN!" he screamed with a vein popping out of his head. "Mobaro! Do something about your crazy girlfriend!"

"So loud," Uo said, looking at them fight. "It's always lively with them, isn't it?"

"Yes, so loud," Hana said as she got up and walked over to them. "Shut up. If you don't, my concentration might slip and I might accidentally place a horrifying curse on you all," she warned, everyone immediately shutting up in fright as her presence towered over them all.

"H-Hana-chan…" Tohru said with a sweat drop.

"Tch, I _knew_ it was a stupid idea to go in the first place," Kyo muttered.

"Hm? To the haunted house?" Sayora asked.

"Guess that makes you even stupider for actually going," Uo commented, fanning herself.

A vein popped out of Kyo's head. "What the hell is your problem, you damn yankee? Why're always picking fights with me?"

"Ah, please don't fight you two!" Tohru pleaded, beginning to panic.

"Yes, please don't fight. If you do, I might accidentally curse you for worrying Tohru-kun," Hana said, suddenly appearing before Kyo.

"Do you _always_ just walking around cursing everyone who annoys you?" Sayora asked.

Hana slowly looked at Sayora from the corner of her eyes, causing Sayora to flinch.

"Never mind… sorry I asked…" she apologized, Hana's glare sending chills up and down her spine.

"Hey guys! C'mon! Let's go in the ocean!" Sawaki suggested, heading toward the ocean with Kimi and Kakeru.

"What? I'm trying to tan here!" Uo complained.

"What the hell do _you_ need to tan for? It's not like any guys'll pay attention to you either way," Kyo said.

A vein popped out of Uo's head as she grabbed a large shell lying nearby, throwing it at Kyo's face.

"Ow! Why you! Get back here!" Kyo yelled, chasing after her as the others headed toward the ocean, laughing in amusement at the scene.

-----Meanwhile Back at the Souma Estate-----

"Happy birthday, Naori! Look what Momiji nii-chan brought you!" Momiji announced as he walked through the front door of her house.

"Wahh! It's a huge cake!" Naori exclaimed excitedly as she ran to greet him. "Thank you!"

"Oh, you didn't have to Momiji-chan," Chiharu, Naori's mother, replied appreciatively.

"Hi Haru nii-chan!" Naori greeted with a smile.

"Happy birthday," he said with a smile, handing her a white teddy bear about half her size.

"Ah, it's so cute!" she replied, giving it a tight squeeze. "And it's really soft too! Thank youuu!"

"Hey Naori, how long are you gonna make them stand out there?" Kan asked as he joined everyone. "Here, let me take that for you Momiji," he offered, taking the cake from the blonde boy and setting it down in the kitchen.

"Hey, we're about to watch a movie that Momo-chan bought for me! Come watch it with us!" Naori pleaded, pulling Momiji along as she ran into the living room. "Haru nii-chan, you come watch, too!"

"Ah, Momo's here?" Momiji asked as he entered the living room full of children, immediately making eye contact with his little sister who looked away shyly.

"Hey, Naori, why don't you eat the cake that Momiji-chan brought you before it melts?" Chiharu suggested.

"Oh, that's right," her daughter agreed as she ran back out of the living room, dragging Momiji along as the other children followed her out.

"I'll go get the cake and the plates then," Kan said, walking into the kitchen with his mother.

"I'll help too," Haru offered, walking behind them.

"Oh, thank you," Chiharu replied. "By the way, how've you been lately, Hatsuharu-kun? It's been so long since you've come to visit us. You've grown so much in these past few months."

"I've been doing fine," he replied with a small smile.

Everyone's attention was turned to the door when it opened once more.

"Ah, Daddy, you're home!" Naori said as she ran to him and gave him a hug.

"That's right. And look what Daddy got you," he said as he handed a gift-wrapped box to his daughter with a warm smile.

"You're home early today, Yuujin," Chiharu greeted her husband as she walked to the front door, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Of course, it's Naori's birthday," he replied, giving his wife a quick hug as he thanked Kan for taking his bag and jacket. He looked at the people gathered in the living room. "Ah, Momiji and Hatsuharu."

"Hiiiii!" Momiji greeted cheerfully.

"Come eat cake with us, Daddy!" Naori said.

"Hold on honey. Daddy's going to get changed first, okay?" he said, patting his daughter's head as he walked by her.

Momiji glanced at Haru and noticed that he was gazing at the scene with an unusual expression on his face.

"Ah, that reminds me Hatsuharu-kun, Rin-chan isn't coming?" Chiharu asked.

"She couldn't make it today."

"That's too bad. Naori wanted to see her too," she said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"She couldn't make it _again_?" Kan asked from behind Haru.

"Well… more like she didn't want to come," Haru answered honestly.

"Ha, yeah, that sounds more like her," he replied, leaning against the wall beside him. "She's really changed. I remember she used to be much friendlier. She dropped by a few months ago and it's almost like she's a different person now. To be honest, I don't understand how Naori became so attached to her, since Rin seems to ignore Naori all the time." Kan looked at Haru. "What happened to her?"

Haru watched Momiji play with the children, unsure of the answer to Kan's question himself.

"Well… I guess it's none of my business anyway…" Kan said with a sweat drop, thinking that Haru had completely ignored him. "Speaking of which, how're things going between you and Rin? You two used to be together all the time but lately, I haven't seen you two together at all. Everything all right?"

"Not really," he answered bluntly with an unchanging expression.

"Eh? Really?" Kan asked, surprised. "What happened?"

"That's what I want to know."

The two stood and continued to watch the children play. Kan thought back to what Naori had told him the other day.

"_While we were lost, that onee-chan bought me food and stayed with me the whole time! But she was a bit weird…"_

"_Weird? How?"_

"_She was really pretty but she had silver hair." _

Kan stared absentmindedly at the floor. _Silver hair…_ he thought to himself. _But… but it's impossible… right…?_

"Hey, Haru…" Kan said a bit hesitantly, causing his cousin to wonder what was wrong.

"What?" Haru asked when the older boy didn't say anything.

Kan hesitated once more. "I think that this is probably going to be a pointless question but… well… it's really been bothering me…" He took a deep breath, attempting to calm his anxiety. "The other day, Naori got lost on her way back from school and…" he trailed off.

"And what?"

"… She said that a girl with silver hair brought her back home."

Momiji, who had overheard what Kan said, flinched and glanced back at the two of them. Haru had nearly flinched as well, but he managed to keep himself under control.

"What're you trying to say?" Haru asked calmly. "That she's still alive?"

Kan only looked at Haru without saying anything.

"Don't be ridiculous. You know that's impossible." Haru kept his gaze fixed on the playing children. "She died a long time ago."

"… Yeah… you're right… what the hell am I thinking? There's no way she's still alive," Kan said a bit solemnly as if trying to convince himself that Haru was right. "But I wonder… silver hair… maybe Sayora's ghost brought Naori back," he said with a small laugh, attempting to brush everything off.

However, the glum look on Haru's face made Kan's forced smile disappear.

"Sorry…" he apologized. "I shouldn't have asked such a weird question. I don't know what I was thinking…"

"Kan! Could you come and give me a hand?" Chiharu suddenly called from the kitchen.

"Coming Mom," he replied as he did as he was asked.

Haru breathed out a small and tired sigh of relief once Kan was gone. He looked up to see a worried and somewhat glum Momiji staring back at him.

"Momiji nii-chan, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Naori asked worriedly.

"Ah, of course!" Momiji assured the little girl with a cheerful smile as he continued to play with them.

"Haru nii-chan, come play with us too!" Naori invited.

Haru gave her a small smile and joined Momiji…

-----Few Hours Later-----

"Thanks for staying and helping us clean up you two," Yuujin thanked the two boys.

"No problem!" Momiji replied with a smile.

"Well then, we'll get going now," Haru said as the two turned to leave.

"Bye," Naori said, waving to them.

"Ah, wait!" Chiharu called, stopping them. "Here, take these with you. I just finished making them," she said as she handed each of them a small container.

Haru looked inside. "Ah, it's your famous spring rolls."

"Consider them as thanks for everything you've helped out with today."

"Wah, as usual, it smells amazing! Thank you!" Momiji thanked.

"Be careful on your way home."

"Okay! Bye!"

"Don't forget, Momiji nii-chan! You promised to take me to that festival next week!" Naori yelled after them.

"I won't!" Momiji yelled back.

"Haru nii-chan, promise you'll come, too, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll come!" he replied, waving to them.

"I'll see you guys next week then!" Kan yelled.

For most of the way back, they both walked in silence, both lost in thought about what Kan said.

Momiji felt his heart aching with both guilt and sadness. "I hate having to lie to him…" he said, breaking the silence.

"There's nothing we can do," Haru replied, feeling guilty as well.

"I know, but still…" Momiji sighed heavily. "Why does it have to be this way…?"

-----Next Chapter's Preview-----

Hopeless Chapter 27- The Heartbreaking Revelation

It is one week later and Tohru, Shigure, Yuki, Kyo, and Sayora all decide to enjoy their day at the small festival nearby. While they are there, Sayora runs into Momiji, Hatsuharu, and Naori. Despite Haru and Momiji's best efforts to keep Sayora and Kan from meeting, will it all be in vain? What exactly is their relationship to each other?


	28. The Heartbreaking Revelation

**dna**- First of all... T_T I'm really grateful to everyone, really. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be up at 4 in the morning trying to update this story. I was so touched by all the reviews for the last chapter cuz everyone was so understanding about my slow updates. THANK YOUUUU! I don't deserve such kindness from you guys for updating pretty much on a once or twice a year basis... nonetheless, thanks for being so understanding about it everyone! You have no idea how much you guys motivate me to update!

**FAQ Corner**  
Some of you guys had questions about the story so before I forget, I'll go ahead and answer them now :P

-How old is Kan?  
Regarding Kan's age, he is 21. Yes, that's a huge age difference with his sister Naori, who has only recently turned 8 (at the end of the last chapter), I know -_- Why such the huge age difference? Because ;P

-The first time Sayora transformed was in chapter 26. Is she ever going to transform again?  
Actually, her first transformation was quite early in the story-at the end of chapter 2 :P However, it was a very brief one and it was only in there for humourous purposes... but rest assured, you haven't seen the last of Sayora's wolf form just yet! She'll transform again, but probably not much though. I'm thinking maybe a couple more times will be it.

-Does everyone graduate?  
. . . . . Umm... how should I answer this... see, a while back, I put Yuki on the student council only to realize that I messed up because the timing was all wrong. In my story, I had him as president when he was only in his second year rather than his third. Here was what I wrote in chapter 19's a/n.

_"yes, i know. they're already supposed to be in their last year of high school, especially cuz yuki's the student council president and stuff but I messed that up so you'll jus have to pretend that they're jus about to enter their last year of high school"_

So... _technically_ they were supposed to enter their third and final year of high school way back when I wrote that chapter a good 3.5 years ago (yes, I went back and checked), but then I went and had them go on an end-of-the-year trip for JUNIORS last chapter... basically, what I'm trying to say is... I have no idea where they're at in school at this point. They are definitely seniors _now,_ but they _should've_ been 8 chapters ago. Oops. They will graduate. Eventually.

-What happens with Kyo? Does he get locked up?  
You'll just have to wait and see ;) But it will definitely play a part in the story.

And finally, before we start the chapter, some **A/N **ranting... I quote myself when I say that _"I've finally gotten to a part that's really exciting for me to write"... _nonetheless, this chapter was ridiculously hard to write. I kept hitting dead-end after dead-end trying to figure out where to place the characters so that everything would work out. My constant vocab blank-out moments didn't help either -_- However, I _did_ get this chapter out in ONLY about 3 months! I think that's a new record (since around chapter 10 at least... i think...) I'll try to get the next one out just as fast! Hopefully college doesn't drag me down... which it probably will... But again, thanks for all the patience and as always, enjoy the chapter! Review if you can. They really DO motivate me and put a smile on my face :)

**Hopeless Chapter 27- The Heartbreaking Revelation**

_-The Night Before-_

_Riiiing. Riiiing. Rii—_

"_Hello?" Shigure greeted as he answered the phone._

"_Hi!" replied a cheery voice._

"_Oh, Momiji-kun. How rare of you to call me. Did you need something?"_

"_Are any of you guys going to the festival tomorrow?"_

"_The festival? No one's mentioned anything about a festival so I doubt it. Why?"_

"_Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of—"_

"_Momiji nii-chan! Look! Look!" Shigure heard a little girl yell cheerfully._

"_Ah, what is it?" Momiji asked._

"_Haru nii-chan made it! And he said he only took a couple of hours to find his way here!" _

_Shigure sweat dropped as he listened to the little girl yelling. As directionally impaired as ever I see... he thought. _

"_Hey, quiet down a bit, will you? Can't you see he's on the phone?" It was a young man's voice that Shigure heard this time. "Seriously, where the heck do you get all your energy from?"_

"_Sorry about that," Momiji apologized as he turned his attention back to the phone call. "Anyway, I was just thinking of taking a friend to the festival tomorrow so..."_

"_Did you want me to ask Tohru-kun and the others to go with you guys?"_

"_Ah, no! It's fine! It's a festival for little kids so I'm sure they won't be interested," he quickly replied. "If they decide to go though, call me, okay?"_

_With that, their conversation ended. Shigure hung up the phone and thought back to the voices he heard earlier. _So Naori-chan and Kan-kun are going to the festival tomorrow, eh? _A smile made its way to his face as he walked back to the living room, humming to himself while another scheme wormed its way into his mind._

-Early the Next Morning-

The woman stood in front of the sink, washing the soap off of the plate in her hand when she heard a knock on the door. She quickly turned off the water and wiped her hands on her apron and made her way to answer the door.

"Oh, Kan-kun! Good morning," she greeted.

"Good morning," he replied with a smile. "Sorry to disturb you. My mom wanted me to deliver this to you."

"Oh, you didn't have to," the woman said, sounding troubled for burdening the young man. "I could've just dropped by and picked it up later."

"Please, don't worry about it. It was no trouble at all," he assured her warmly.

"Mom, who is it?" came a young woman's voice as she came downstairs and headed toward the front door. "Ah, Kan-kun!"

"Hey, Kagura," he greeted. "It's been a while."

The woman glanced at her daughter and Kan and smiled, feeling a bit amused by the innocent atmosphere between them. "Ah, I just remembered I left the stove on!" she suddenly said, retreating back into the house. "You two go ahead and catch up. Thank you again, Kan-kun."

The two of them watched Kagura's mom disappear into the house.

"How've you been?" Kan asked, making conversation.

"Good," Kagura replied with a smile. "What about Kan-kun?"

"Same," he answered. "I'm taking Naori down to the festival later today."

"Really?" she asked, sounding interested.

"Wanna come?" he invited.

Kagura frowned slightly in regret. "I can't. I have class today."

"That's too bad," Kan replied. "Maybe next time then."

"Ah, do you want to come in for a minute?"

"No, I should get going. I have to take Naori soon," he said, turning to leave. "I'll invite you again sometime."

"Okay, don't forget!" Kagura replied cheerfully, waving goodbye to Kan.

"See ya!"

Kagura watched as he followed the path out.

"Did he leave?" her mother asked as she walked up to her daughter.

"Mmhm," she answered, looking back at her mother.

"Well, well… _someone _looks awfully happy."

"What're you trying to say?" Kagura asked her mother, giving her a weird look.

"Nothing," her mother replied, chuckling softly to herself as she headed back into the kitchen. "But that Kan-kun… he's sure is a nice young man."

Kagura turned to look out the door where she could still just barely make out Kan's figure. "Yeah… he is…" she agreed with a small smile.

-Meanwhile-

"This looks amazing as always, Tohru-kun," Shigure said appreciatively as Tohru smiled in response, setting out the rest of the breakfast on the table.

"Breakfast is ready!" she announced as Kyo and Yuki arrived at the table and sat down.

"Eh? Where's Sayora-chan?" Shigure asked.

"Right here," she replied as she joined everyone, drying her hair with a towel from her shower.

"Oh, I forgot to bring the soup out for everyone," Tohru suddenly remembered, returning to the kitchen.

"I'll help Honda-san," Yuki offered as he followed after her.

"Not offering to help, Kyo-kun?" Shigure asked as Sayora took her seat beside Kyo. "How ungentleman-like of you."

"Shut up," Kyo replied with a vein on his head. "I didn't offer 'cause Yuki already went. Besides, I don't see you offering any help."

"But this is my house. You all are like my housekeepers."

"You're just lazy," Sayora replied, putting her damp towel on the floor beside her.

There was a moment of silence between the three of them.

"Look… Shigure…" Sayora said hesitantly, seeming to be slightly embarrassed. "About everything you've said to me these past few weeks… thank you…"

There was another moment of silence.

"EH?" Shigure exclaimed in shock. "Did I just hear right? Did you really just speak words of kindness to me?"

"Shut up already!" Sayora replied, embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized with a laugh. "It's just that I don't think I said anything that deserves any thanks."

"Yeah, that's true. Everything that came out of your mouth made me just wanna beat the shit out of you," she agreed harshly, earning a sweat drop from Shigure.

"I… I see."

"But at the same time, I feel like everything you said made me able to think more clearly, especially now… so thank you."

Kyo looked at Sayora, feeling that she was right. It was because of all the things Shigure said to him that he was able to face Sayora again.

"M-me too…" Kyo stammered, looking away.

"Hm?" Shigure looked at the orange-haired boy, once again surprised. He then gave them both a doubtful smile. "You both give me too much credit. I don't remember saying such extraordinary things in the first place."

"Sorry for making you wait," came Tohru's voice as she re-entered the living room with Yuki. "Everyone's soup is ready," she said as she grabbed the soup on the tray that Yuki was holding and passed one to each person.

"Hey, I just thought of something," Shigure said. "Why don't we all go to the festival in town together today?"

Yuki gave his cousin a confused look. "Why?" he asked.

"Eh? What do you mean why?"

"Let's go!" Tohru interrupted enthusiastically. "We haven't gone out together in such a long time! It'll be fun!"

Kyo, Yuki, and Sayora all looked at Tohru's happy face. There was no way they could refuse her.

"Alright Honda-san, you've convinced us," Yuk said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm so happy! Thank you!"

"What're you thanking us for, dummy?" Kyo asked, looking away with a slight blush.

"You know, this really _is _sudden, Shigure," Sayora said. "I never figured you to be the type that enjoys going to festivals and stuff."

"What're you talking about? I love going to festivals. I just haven't had time lately," he replied.

"'Haven't had time'?" Kyo repeated. "All you do is sit around all day long."

"How mean, Kyo-kun!" Shigure whined, pretending to sound hurt.

"Come to think of it… your deadline is today, isn't it," Yuki stated more than asked. "Every time you decide to do something on a whim, it's because of that poor editor."

Everyone turned to look at Shigure who threw on a huge innocent smile.

"Whatever are you talking about Yuki-kun?" he denied with a playful laugh. "I simply want to enjoy myself with everyone today!"

"I knew there had to be a hidden motive," Sayora said, she and Kyo sweat dropping.

-Couple Hours Later-

_I have left on a never ending journey (again). Will  
__be back in 100 years. _

_Souma Shigure_

_P.S. Attempted suicide in front of this house is  
__strictly prohibited. Thank you. Have a nice day._

"N-no way… again?" Mitsuru asked as she read the familiar note posted on Shigure's front door, tears already pooling to her eyes. "Shigure-sensei…" She fell to her knees and broke down. "I HATE YOU SHIGURE-SENSEIIIIIIIII!"

-Meanwhile-

"I wonder how that poor editor is reacting right now," Sayora said as the four of them entered the festival.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Shigure assured. "She should know by now that my work is already done."

"What a pitiful woman," Yuki said, feeling sorry for the editor.

"In a way, it's her own fault for never learning," Kyo said honestly.

"But that's what makes it so fun!" Shigure replied.

"I hope she'll be okay…" Tohru said worriedly. "Last time, she tried to hang herself in front of the house. It was very scary."

"And yet this guy still has the nerve to tease her like this again…" Sayora replied, shaking her head.

"Hey, you five there!" one of the clerks shouted from their booth. "Come and play a game or two! You'll get great prizes if you do!"

The all looked at each other.

"Why not?" Shigure asked with a shrug, ushering them over.

"Shoot the targets! If you get them all, you win a prize!" the clerk explained. "It's 100 yen per person! Who wants to try?"

Yuki handed him the money and received the long, rifle-like gun.

"Oh, I want to try too!" Tohru exclaimed excitedly, handing over the money and receiving her gun as well.

Sayora sweat dropped. "Somehow… seeing her with a gun just isn't right…"

"Let's see… this is where I pull, right?" Tohru asked, her finger on the trigger.

Kyo stared at the gun that was pointed toward him. "W-wait—"

_POP! _

Tohru sweat dropped at Kyo's face that was now splattered with orange paint. A vein popped out of Kyo's head as he tried to keep himself calm.

"What a fitting color," Sayora said jokingly, holding back an amused laugh.

"O-oops…" Tohru said quietly and nervously.

Kyo yanked the rifle from Tohru's hand. "What the hell are you doing pointing that thing at people?" he yelled, the vein on his head growing larger.

"S-sorry!" she apologized.

"Now, now, Kyo-kun," Shigure cooed. "You shouldn't lose your temper like that in public."

"How about I shoot _you _in the face with some paint? Let's see how well _you _handle it!"

"Stop being so loud, stupid cat," Yuki said, sounding annoyed.

"What? You wanna say that to my face?"

Yuki turned to look at Kyo's paint-covered face and paused. He visibly held back a laugh. "I can't. It's too funny to look at."

A large vein popped out of Kyo's head. "Why you…!"

"Please don't fight, you two!" Tohru pleaded.

"This is so embarrassing…" Sayora said, looking away from them.

"If you two feel the need to fight, why not compete for the prize?" Shigure suggested, earning both of their attentions.

"Fine! You're on you damn rat!" Kyo yelled, completely psyched.

_I didn't even agree… _Yuki thought as he none-the-less aimed his gun at the targets. He rapidly shot off all six of his paintballs, hitting the center of every target. "Let's see you beat that, stupid cat."

"Think he'll realize?" Shigure asked Sayora and Tohru with a small chuckle.

Tohru gave Shigure a confused look. "What do you mean, Shigure-san?"

"That Yuki-kun's already won this."

Kyo's ears twitched, hearing what Shigure had said. "Oh yeah? Just you wait and see!"

He took his gun, aiming carefully and firing off his shots, hitting ever single target. He looked at the last target and carefully positioned his gun and pulled the trigger… but nothing happened. "What the…" Kyo looked at his rifle, then at the clerk. "What the hell! Your gun's broken!"

"A-ah, that's not it, sir," the clerk replied nervously, taking a step back.

Shigure laughed.

"You really are a stupid cat," Yuki said with a sigh.

"What the hell're you laughing at?" Kyo demanded to know from Shigure.

"Tohru-kun shot you with a paintball, remember? That's why I said that Yuki-kun's _'already won'_. From the beginning, you didn't even have enough paintballs to hit all the targets with," he explained.

"ARGHHHHH!" he shouted in frustration.

"Here's your prize, sir," the clerk said as he handed the large stuffed panda to Yuki. "And for you, sir…" The clerk reached back to grab something and handed it to Kyo. "… A towel to wipe your face with! Come again!"

A vein popped out of Kyo's head as he snatched the towel from the clerk's hand, grumbling incomprehensibly to himself.

-Few Moments Later-

"Scoop a goldfish to win a prize!"

Kyo's ears perked as he heard the game's advertisement. "Let's go, you damn rat!"

"Already ready to lose again?" Yuki taunted as he followed Kyo to the booth

"Oh, I want to try too!" Tohru exclaimed excitedly as she made her way over to join them.

Shigure and Sayora followed behind to observe. The clerk handed Kyo and Yuki the paper scoop.

"Alright, are you watching, you damn rat?" Kyo asked, his eyes burning with determination as he took the scoop and smacked it into the water, popping it right away.

"Nice…" Sayora said, watching with a sweat drop.

"Gimme another one!" Kyo demanded from the clerk.

"H-here you go, sir…" he replied, handing over another scoop nervously.

This time, Kyo carefully dipped the scoop in, but the paper ripped when he tried to scoop the fish up to fast. A vein popped out of Kyo's head.

"Another!" he demanded as the clerk handed him yet another scoop. It wasn't long before everyone heard the popping of the paper on the scoop again. "Another! Another! Another! Anotherrrrrrrr!"

Everyone sweat dropped as they watched Kyo try to scoop fish like a madman.

"You suck at this, don't you?" Sayora asked.

"And to think you're a cat, too," Shigure replied jokingly.

"Shut up! What's _that _gotta do with anything?" he shouted, angry from all the failed attempts.

"Cats catch fish. Didn't you know, Kyo-kun?" Shigure teased.

"Look, I already got one," Yuki taunted coolly, holding up the paper scoop with the fish for him to see.

Kyo trembled in anger, refusing to believe that he had lost to the rat yet again. Smoke could almost be seen emitting from his red face.

"I'd like to try please," Tohru said to the clerk as she was handed her scoop. A few seconds later, Kyo could hear her overjoyed voice. "Oh! Look Yuki-kun! I got one! I got one!"

"Great job, Honda-san," Yuki praised.

"Hey, I wanna try too," Sayora said as she made their way over to them and got a scoop. A few seconds later... "Hey, look Kyo! I got one, too!"

A vein popped out of Kyo's head.

"Ah, let me try! Let me try!" Shigure said excitedly, joining them. Another few seconds later...

"Wahh, that was amazing, Shigure-san!" Tohru exclaimed.

"I know! I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?" he asked.

"Amazingly perverted," Yuki and Sayora replied.

"H-hey..."

"Kyo-kun! Look!" Tohru yelled to him. "Everyone got one!"

"That's right, Kyo-kun! **Everyone **got one!" Shigure yelled, purposely taunting Kyo by emphasizing 'everyone'.

"To think you can't even do something as easy as scooping fish," Sayora said, teasing him.

"And you think you can beat me in a fight when you can't even beat me in festival games?" Yuki asked.

That last comment made Kyo snap. "I can't beat you? I can't beat _you_?"

Sayora and Yuki both had an unexplainable feeling in their gut telling them that Kyo was about to do something very stupid. And they couldn't have been more right.

"Ah! Kyo-kun! What're you doing?" Tohru asked, panicking frantically when Kyo thrust his hand into the water, grabbing a handful of fish.

"Ahhhh! Are you out of your mind? Put them back!" the clerk shouted.

"You think I can't scoop some stupid fish?" Kyo asked. "Well how's this for scooping fish! What've you got to say now?" he shouted, holding out his hand that was covered with flopping fish.

"Kyo-kun, the fish!" Tohru replied, still panicking.

"Have you gone crazy?" Sayora shouted as she grabbed the few fish that had flopped from Kyo's hand to the ground and quickly put them back into the water.

A vein popped out of Yuki's head. Thoroughly embarrassed by Kyo's idiotic behavior, Yuki grabbed his cousin by his hair and slammed his head into the water.

"Would you cool it already?" he asked in a calm but deadly voice.

"Yuki! Stop that!" Sayora demanded with a sweat drop.

"E-everyone..." Tohru said nervously, trying to break up the argument.

Shigure let out a tired sigh. "Why must this always happen with them?"

-Few Moments Later-

"Ring Toss! Toss the ring onto the pole! Get 'em all and win a prize!"

"Let's go!" Kyo challenged Yuki.

Yuki sighed. "Again?"

"Ah, Kyo-kun, calm down," Tohru said as she followed the two boys to the booth.

"Look at him, all pumped up," Shigure commented with a laugh.

"It's embarrassing..." Sayora replied with a sweat drop.

"You think so?" he asked, glancing at her, amused by her response. "How rare of you to be so withdrawn."

"Eh?" Sayora gave Shigure confused look.

"Wouldn't you usually be just as pumped and ready to beat both of them?"

Sayora let out a small laugh. "People grow up, Shigure. I'm more mature than I was back then."

He looked at Sayora, both surprised and impressed by her newfound maturity. Suddenly, a ring flew by Shigure and slammed into the side of Sayora's head. A large vein appeared where she had been hit.

"S-Sayora-san! Are you okay?" Tohru yelled to her worriedly.

"You stupid rat! _Now _look what you made me do!" Kyo shouted.

"How is this _my _fault? _You _threw the ring," Yuki replied coolly.

"You distracted me, you-!" Kyo's sentence was abruptly cut off along with his air supply.

"That freaking hurt! What the hell is your problem, you stupid cat?" Sayora shouted, violently shaking him by his throat.

"Sayora-san! He'll die!" Tohru panicked, trying to calm her friend down.

Shigure watched the scene with a sweat drop. _Mature indeed... _he thought.

-Meanwhile-

Ball in hand, Naori licked her lips and pulled her arm back, intensely concentrating on the hole that she was supposed to toss it through. "Okay, here I go!" she announced as she threw the ball with all of her strength. Everyone watched as the ball traveled through the air for a couple feet before hitting the ground, falling about three feet short of her target. "Awww..." Naori said disappointedly, looking up at the clerk with her large, innocent pleading eyes. "Can I try one more time? Please?"

"That'll be another 300 yen."

Naori reached into her empty pockets. "I don't have anymore money."

"Then too bad, little girl," the man replied in a mocking voice. "Ya don't got money, ya don't get to play. Maybe you can try again ten years from now when you actually learn how to throw farther than half your height, okay? Bye," he said, shooing her away with the flick of his hand.

"But..." Naori trailed off.

"Hey, what's with the attitude?" Kan asked with a frown, displeased with the clerk's insult toward his younger sister.

"C'mon, Naori," Momiji said, taking hold of her hand and leading her away from the commotion. "Momiji nii-chan will take you to play a funner game."

"Buzz off, will ya? You're ruining business," the clerk said to Kan.

"She's just a little girl! That was—"

_SLAM! _

Kan was cut off mid-sentence from Haru slamming the 300 yen on the counter.

"I wanna play a game," he said as Momiji and Naori stopped and turned to watch what was going on.

"As long as ya got money," the clerk replied as he handed Haru a ball and took the money.

"Hey, what're you doing? Don't waste money on this guy's—"

"Don't worry. I won't miss," Haru assured confidently with a sly smirk.

One look at his cousin's face made Kan sweat drop. _Black Haru... _he thought.

Without taking a second to even aim, Haru pelted the ball with everything he had. The ball flew by the clerk, missing the hole completely and going straight through the wall. The wide-eyed clerk stared at the new hole in his wall speechlessly, then looked back at Haru's victorious grin, then back at his wall again.

"Wah, that was amazing, Haru nii-chan!" Naori exclaimed excitedly.

"Well? How was that? It went through. Now where's my prize?" Haru asked.

"I told you to throw the ball through the _hole_, not my _wall_!" the clerk shouted, pointing at his precious wall.

Haru stared at the clerk, then slowly climbed over the counter. Then suddenly, before the clerk knew it, the collar of his shirt was in the younger boy's hands.

"Maybe your brain ain't so good." Haru suddenly shoved the clerk's face against the wall next to where his ball had gone through earlier. "You see this hole? Well? _Do _you?" he asked in a menacing voice. The frightened clerk nodded in response. "This hole is in _your _wall, right?" The clerk once again nodded. "You saw my ball go through _this _hole in _your _wall, didn't you?" The clerk nodded a third time. "Then what ain't I gettin'? You said if I threw the ball through the hole in this wall, I'd win a prize. **Now where the fuck is my prize?**"

_That's not the way it works... _Kan thought, watching the scene nervously.

-Few Seconds Later-

"You're the best, Haru nii-chan!" Naori exclaimed happily as she hugged her new stuffed animal tightly. "Nii-chan would _neeeever _do something like that for me!"

Kan sweat dropped. "As much as I appreciate you stealing my sister's affection away from me, that was really reckless. What if a security guard came by?"

"Lighten up, Kan. Look at how happy Naori is!" Momiji replied cheerfully.

"Easy for _you _to say. I'm an adult, so I'll be held accountable for your actions... let's try to keep me out of trouble with the law, okay guys?"

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" Naori yelled, shaking her brother's hand. "I want to try that!" She pointed at the booth that sold wine and beer.

Kan once again sweat dropped. "No way."

"Awww, but why?" she asked disappointedly.

"Because! You just can't!" Kan answered poorly.

"But all those other people are trying some!"

"It's a drink for adults only."

"Then _you _try some, Onii-chan!"

"What? Why?"

"Because, aren't you an adult? You said so earlier!"

"Wha—"

"Or is it because you aren't as grown-up as you always tell everyone?"

"It's because I'm _responsible_!" Kan replied with a vein popping out of his head.

Momiji noticed that Haru had been a bit quiet and looked over to him to find him staring off at something. The blonde boy walked up next to his cousin, leaving to two siblings to their little argument for the time being.

"Haru, what's wrong?" Momiji followed Haru's gaze and saw Sayora and the others. His eyes widened at the unexpected sight as his heart almost skipped a beat in pure fright. _Why is she—!_

"Hey, what're you two looking at?" Kan asked, joining the two other boys.

"N-nothing! Just looking around at all the booths!" Momiji quickly replied, trying to recover from his shock.

"I just saw a friend from school walk by. I'm going to say hi real quick," Haru said smoothly, giving Momiji a quick glance before leaving them.

"Ah, wait! I want to meet Haru nii-chan's friend, too!" Naori said.

"I have a better idea! Let's go get ice cream!" Momiji suggested as he pushed her and Kan in the opposite direction.

The little girl's face lit up. "Okay!"

"Huh? Wait a minute! Shouldn't we wait for Haru? What if he comes back and can't find us?" Kan asked, wondering why the boy was being so pushy all of a sudden.

"It's fine! It's fine!" he assured, masking his anxiousness with a cheerful attitude.

-Meanwhile, Haru-

Haru could hear the bickering trio and the frantic peacemaker as he made his way over to the five of them. The only one to notice his presence was Shigure.

"Oh, Haa-kun, what a surprise to see you here!"

However, Haru was not amused. "You said they weren't coming," he said in a serious tone.

"I assure you, it was a last minute decision," Shigure replied with a light attitude and an innocent smile.

"Ah, Hatsuharu-san! What a surprise!" Tohru greeted excitedly when the other four had finally noticed him. "Are you here to enjoy the festival as well?"

"Isn't that much obvious?" Kyo asked.

"Ahaha... I suppose it is," Tohru replied sheepishly.

"Did you get lost?" Yuki asked.

"Since you're here, does that mean Momiji is here, too?" Sayora wondered curiously.

Haru looked at the clueless silver-haired girl. If they meet, it's all over... he thought, determined to keep her and Kan from meeting at all cost. "We got separated," he finally replied to Sayora's question.

"In other words, you really did get lost," Yuki said.

"Come with us, Hatsuharu-san! We can find him together!" Tohru offered.

"Where did you lose him? Do you remember?" Shigure asked as the group started to move.

"Somewhere that way," Haru answered, pointing to the direction opposite of where Momiji had taken Kan and Naori.

"But didn't you come from the opposite direction?" Yuki asked.

"In any case, why don't we all get some food first?" Shigure suggested. "I think I saw a food court just a little past here."

"Hey, hold on!" Haru objected when the group walked in the direction he came from. "I said that Momiji was _that_ way!"

"Like we could trust _you_ and your sense of direction," Kyo replied.

"Relax Haru. We're just going to get some food," Sayora said. "Tohru's stomach has been growling for the past half hour."

Haru looked at the brown-haired girl helplessly. He wanted to get them away from Momiji's group as quickly as possible, and Tohru being hungry didn't help.

"Oh, there's no need to worry!" Tohru quickly replied. "Finding Momiji-kun is much more important than food! Besides, I'm not even that hung—" Her sentence was cut off by a loud growl coming from her stomach. "Ahaha…" she laughed embarrassingly as she sweat dropped.

"Don't worry about Momiji, Honda-san," Yuki replied. "We can look for him after a quick lunch break."

"For once, just listen to the damn rat," Kyo said. "Knowing you, you might actually collapse from hunger."

"But Momiji-kun…" she objected weakly.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Shigure assured. "He's with his friends, isn't he?"

Haru watched everyone continue on their way. Sayora looked back and stopped when she noticed that Haru wasn't following them.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sayora asked.

He looked at her without saying anything. All he could think about was keeping her away from Kan. _Please… please don't let them run into each other…_ he thought desperately, closing his eyes. _Even if I burn in hell for doing this… please, don't let them meet…_

"Hey, Haru!" Sayora said sternly, giving his arm a firm shake. "You're really worrying me! What's wrong?"

He watched as her worried face became mixed with confusion and concern when he gently grabbed her hand and moved it away from his arm. "It's nothing," he finally replied with a light smile. "I haven't been feeling well today so don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" she asked, still sounding concerned.

"Maybe eating something will help," he replied as he began walking again, Sayora following behind.

By the time Sayora and Haru had arrived at the food court, everyone was already seated and eating.

"Ah, there you are," Shigure said as the two joined them. "We thought we lost you guys in the crowd somewhere. Tohru-kun was worried."

"Sorry, I was spacing out," Haru apologized.

"Have some, Hatsuharu-san, Sayora-san!" Tohru said, offering them the food that she was eating.

"Go ahead and eat. You're hungry, aren't you?" Sayora replied, declining the offer. She turned to Haru. "Wanna get something and split it?"

"Sure," he answered.

"You just sit there and wait!" she ordered before leaving to get food.

Haru did as he was told and sat down next to Yuki, letting out a tired sigh.

"What was _that_ all about?" Yuki asked.

"I told her I wasn't feeling well."

"Eh? Really? You're not feeling well, Hatsuharu-san? Do you need to see a doctor?" immediately came Tohru's barrage of worried questions.

"Hmm, you _are_ acting a bit strange today," Shigure said.

"I'm fine. I'm probably just tired," he replied, looking around. "Where's Kyo?"

-Momiji, Naori, and Kan-

"Hey, we should just stay by the ice cream shop! What if Haru can't find us?" Momiji asked, trying to convince them to turn the other way.

"But Naori has to use the bathroom," Kan replied, wondering why the blonde boy was behaving so strangely. "Besides, weren't you the one who told us to get ice cream instead of waiting for him? Even if we waited at the ice cream shop, he probably wouldn't even know to look for us there."

Momiji frowned, beginning to get impatient. He didn't want the group walking around because then, the chance of bumping into Sayora would be higher.

"Then why don't we call it a day and go home?"

"But I can't hold it that long," Naori replied, squirming slightly. "And I want to see the fireworks tonight, too!"

"Don't worry, Naori. We'll watch the fireworks, okay? Look the bathroom is right over there," Kan said, pointing at it for her to see. "Hurry and go on ahead. We'll be waiting right here."

"Okay!"

The two boys watched her run into the bathroom. Kan turned to face Momiji with a serious look.

"Alright, seriously Momiji, I don't know what's going on, but you've gotta chill. We brought Naori here so that she could have fun and quite frankly, the way you're acting is kind of freaking me out right now."

Momiji looked away sadly. He had a good reason for doing this. He really did. But there was no way he could tell Kan.

"What's going on?" Kan asked, sounding concerned.

However, he received no response from his younger cousin.

"Hey, Momiji!" a familiar voice called, making him flinch in surprise. He turned around to see Kyo. "I _thought_ it was you. Haru was looking for you. He said you guys got separated and—" He suddenly stopped mid-sentence when the young man next to Momiji turned around. Kyo's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Y-you… you're… but you can't be…"

Kan looked at the orange-haired boy who was staring at him in shock. It only took him a few seconds to remember who he was. "You're Kyo, right?" he asked.

"Hey! You came to use the bathroom, right? I have to go, too!" Momiji interrupted loudly, grabbing the stunned Kyo and dragging him toward the bathroom. "You stay and wait for Naori, okay?" he yelled as the two of them entered the restroom.

"Momiji, is that really him?" Kyo immediately asked, still overwhelmed with shock. "That's not Kan, right? That can't…"

His younger cousin's silence and the look on his face answered his question for him.

"I don't understand. She said he was dead! How can he—" Suddenly, a more important question rose into his mind. Kyo gulped before asking it. "… Does she know…? Does she know he's still…?"

Momiji shook his head. Kyo had never seen him more serious than he was now. "Kyo, she can't know. If she finds out, she'll never be the same again. You can't tell her, okay? You have to keep this a secret." The look on Momiji's face was both sad and desperate.

Kyo felt his heart squeeze with guilt, uncomfortable with what he was being asked to do. "This isn't right…"

"Kyo…"

"I know." He clenched his fists. "I get it… it's not like I can bring myself to tell her something like this anyway…"

The two boys stood in silence. Momiji allowed him time to let everything sink in.

"Wait, if Haru was with you guys, then…"

Momiji nodded. "He knows, too."

-Few Moments Later, Kan and Naori-

The two siblings stood outside the bathrooms, waiting for Momiji and Kyo to come out.

"Onii-chan, are they pooping?" Naori asked.

"How am _I_ supposed to know?" Kan asked with a sweat drop.

"But they've been in there for so long."

"Just be patient. I'm sure they'll be out soon."

Just as Kan finished telling that to his sister, Momiji and Kyo finally came out.

"Sorry we took so long. There was a line in there," Momiji lied.

"Onii-chan said that Momiji nii-chan was male bonding together with a friend!" Naori replied with her usual cheerfulness.

"Can you ever keep your mouth shut?" Kan asked, another sweat drop appearing. He turned to Kyo. "So, how've you been? I haven't seen you since you were little. You've grown up so much."

"I… I have to go. My friends are waiting," Kyo said, cutting the conversation short.

"Ah—"

"Okay, see you later then," Momiji interrupted, forcing himself to sound normal again.

"Wait! You're Momiji nii-chan's friend, right? I'm Naori! What's your name?" the young girl asked innocently.

Kyo looked at the girl who called out to him. _If this girl is really Kan's sister, then…_ He felt his heart squeeze again. "Kyo," he answered.

"Come with us, Kyo nii-chan!"

"He can come with us next time, Naori," Kan replied. "He has to go back to his friends."

"Aww," Naori pouted.

"I'll see you around then, Kyo," Kan said.

"Yeah… see you around…" he repeated, truly hoping that he wouldn't. What he really wanted was to erase the past twenty minutes out of his life. He didn't know how he was ever going to face Sayora again without going through a guilt trip every time.

A few seconds after Kyo left, Kan's cell phone rang. "Hello?" he asked as he answered it. "Oh, Mom… yeah, we're going to watch the fireworks tonight… eh? You and Dad are coming?... Hold on." He turned to Momiji. "Hey, can you get a brochure and check what time the fireworks are starting tonight?"

"Sure," Momiji replied as he went up to a volunteer worker to ask for a brochure. "It starts at 9:30," he told Kan as he walked back to him.

"And where is it?"

Momiji looked back at his brochure. "You can watch from two different locations," he replied.

Kan stood behind his cousin and read the information silently to himself.

"Let's watch it at the hill past the bridge," Momiji suggested.

Kan turned his attention back to the phone. "Hey Mom, I'll meet you by the statue near the entrance… okay, call me when you get here… bye."

_I have to find a way to tell Haru to take Sayora and the others to the other location, _Momiji thought.

"Naori? Naori! Hey, Naori!" Kan shouted.

Momiji was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts as he looked around. Naori was nowhere in sight.

"Dammit, where'd she go?"

"Naori!" Momiji called.

-Meanwhile-

"Oh, how cute! What's your name?" Tohru asked the little girl who stood behind a frozen Kyo.

"I'm Naori!" she replied proudly with a smile.

"Well isn't _this_ a pleasant little surprise," Shigure replied, walking up to her.

"Hi Shigure ji-chan," Naori greeted happily.

"Hello!" he said, speaking in a childish tone. "Where's your brother? You came with him, didn't you?"

"Mmhm! I came with Momiji nii-chan and Haru nii-chan, too!" she replied. "But Haru nii-chan went to say hi to some friends and never came back."

"What a coincidence. He came to say hi to _us_," Shigure told her.

"Where is he?" She looked around, trying to find him.

"He went to make a phone call."

"You said your name was Naori, right?" Yuki asked with a friendly smile. "Does you brother know you followed this stupid person here?"

"Why you…" Kyo growled as Tohru and Shigure sweat dropped at Yuki's choice of words.

Naori shook her head to answer the rat's question. "But it's okay since Haru nii-chan is here!"

"It's NOT okay! What the hell did you follow me here for?" Kyo shouted with a vein popping out of his head. He truly felt like shooting himself. How could he let himself be followed back by a little girl? And to make matters worse, that little girl was Kan's sister. "Go back! Right now!"

"Ah, Kyo-kun, please stop shouting at her!" Tohru said, worried that he would scare the poor girl.

Kyo wanted to cry at his own carelessness. _This is not good…_ he thought.

"Kyo nii-chan, you don't like me?" Naori asked.

"No, I don't! Now hurry up and go back to where you came from!"

Naori's mouth began to tremble and her eyes began to tear up.

"Oh, don't cry! He didn't mean that!" Tohru quickly said, trying to comfort her.

"Such brutal honesty," Shigure said, somewhat amused by the whole scene.

Before Kyo could do a single thing more, his face met the floor with a thud. "Will it kill you to act like a human being once in a while?" Yuki asked, a vein popping out of his head. He turned to the little girl who was on the verge of crying. "Don't pay attention to him. He's just shy," he said with a smile, patting her on the head.

"No I'm not," Kyo managed to say through his half broken mouth. "Hurry up and get out of here before—"

"Before what?" came Sayora's voice, making Kyo flinch. "And what the hell happened to you?" she asked, sweat dropping at the sight of Kyo on the floor with blood trailing out of his mouth.

"Oh, welcome back Sayora-san," Tohru greeted.

"Ah, you're that Onee-chan!" Naori exclaimed in excitement, running to Sayora.

"Naori-chan," Sayora said, sounding surprised. "What're you doing here?"

Shigure and Kyo watched in confusion as Naori ran to hug the silver-haired girl. However, Naori's height only allowed her to hug Sayora's legs.

"You two know each other?" Shigure asked, voicing both of their question.

"Yeah, remember that day I came home really late? I was taking her back home," Sayora replied, patting the little girl on her head. "Are you by yourself, Naori-chan?"

"I came with Haru nii-chan and Momiji nii-chan! Ah, and Onii-chan is here, too!" Naori said, her face lighting up. "You have to meet him, Onee-chan! You said you would!"

Kyo flinch, horrified by the idea.

"So where is he?" Sayora asked Naori.

"I left him and followed Kyo nii-chan here," she replied, making Sayora sweat drop. "But he should be coming soon!"

"Does he know where you are?"

"No." Naori then made an expression as if she had just realized something groundbreaking. "Onii-chan will probably be mad at me."

"I'm sure he won't be _too_ mad," Tohru said, still mentally obsessing over how cute Naori looked.

"Actually," Shigure replied, "he's got quite the sister complex. He'll probably be very angry."

For the first time since Shigure mentioned Kan, something finally struck Kyo as odd. _He knows about her brother…?_

"I know! If I buy Onii-chan some taiyaki, he won't be mad at me! Come with me Onee-chan!" Naori insisted, tugging at Sayora's hand. "I saw them sell it near the entrance!"

"Alright, alright," Sayora replied, unable to keep up with the energetic little girl.

"I think they sold some takoyaki there, too," Shigure remembered. "Could you buy some back for me?"

"Go buy it yourself, you lazy old man."

"That's so mean!" he pretended to whine.

"It's okay, Shigure ji-chan! I'll buy some for you!"

"Aww, such a cute girl! Unlike that mean, scary old lady you're holding hands with." Shigure smiled widely as he crouched down to rub Naori's head. "That's so nice of you."

A large vein popped out of Sayora's trembling fist as she fought the urge to run it into the dog's face.

Yuki sweat dropped. "Shigure, stop it. You look like a pervert."

"But at least I don't look like a gir—" But before he could complete his sentence, he suddenly found himself crashing face first into the table.

"Shigure-san!" Tohru panicked.

Before Yuki could yell at Shigure for insulting him, he found his hand clasped between Sayora's.

"I love you. I really do," she said, grateful to him for punching Shigure.

"A-anyway," Yuki said, pulling his hand away, "if you're going to go, then you should hurry. I think the stands are going to close soon."

"All right then, I'll see you guys in a bit," she replied as she and Naori left.

Kyo watched the two girls leave until they were completely out of sight. The fact that he'd just learned that Kan was still alive was still such a shock to him that he was unable to think clearly. However, what was nearly just as puzzling to him was that everyone seemed to know about it.

"You've been awfully quiet since she came back," Yuki said.

Kyo glanced at his cousin whose eyes were fixed on the scene before him: Tohru frantically trying to stop Shigure's massive nosebleed from its collision with the table. He let out a sigh and looked away. He still couldn't believe that Kan was alive. Did Yuki also know? He debated with himself on whether he should ask or not, but the words wouldn't come. Every time he thought about Kan, the thought of him meeting Sayora would rear its ugly head.

"_If she finds you, she'll never be the same again," _he remembered Momiji saying, and the thought of that terrified him. The Sayora that he knew and came to love would shatter before his eyes. What was equally terrifying was what Sayora would do if she found out that he knew. She would most likely hate him for the rest of her life. Kyo frowned as his hands unconsciously balled themselves into a fist.

After hearing no response from his usually hot-headed cousin, Yuki glanced at Kyo to see a pained look on his face. Yuki's eyes narrowed in suspicion. It was odd to see Kyo look so troubled over something.

"Oh, you're back, Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru said, alerting Kyo and Yuki to the return of their cousin. He also looked troubled. "Is there something wrong?"

"My friend can't find his little sister," he answered. "You guys go ahead and enjoy the fireworks. I'm going to help look for her."

"Is the person you're looking for Naori-chan by any chance?" Shigure asked, clearly surprising him. "If so, she was here a while ago."

"Where is she now?"

"Sayora-san took her to buy some snacks for her brother," Tohru answered, wondering what was wrong.

Haru's eyes widened upon hearing Tohru's response. _If Naori mentions Kan's name…!_ He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down so that he could think clearly. _No… she has no reason to bring it up. What I need to do now is make sure they don't run into each other. _"Honda-san, you have a cell phone, right? Can I borrow it?"

"Oh, sure." Tohru fumbled around in her bag for a few seconds before finding what she was looking for and handing it to Haru.

_Even if she's with Naori, she doesn't know that Kan is her brother, so it doesn't matter,_ Haru thought as he dialed Momiji's number and waited for his call to be answered._ I can still keep them from meeting…_ A better idea came to mind as he ended the call and began typing out a text message instead. "Are you guys going to watch the fireworks tonight?" he asked.

"Yes! We're going to watch it at the hill right behind the festival!" Tohru replied, seeming excited.

"I have to take care of something with Momiji and a friend. I'll bring them and meet you guys there," he replied.

"Don't get lost!" Shigure yelled to him jokingly.

Haru glanced back before leaving them. Of course, he wasn't _really_ going to rejoin them. He was going to find Naori and send Sayora back to Tohru and the others.

-Momiji-

He flipped open his phone to check the message he had just received. _From Tohru?_ he thought to himself as he opened the message.

_It's Haru.  
__Tell Kan that Naori is with me. I'll  
__meet you guys by the bridge where  
__we planned to watch the fireworks. _

-Meanwhile, Sayora and Naori-

"We almost didn't make it," Sayora said, carrying the two bags of food, one for Naori's brother and the other for Shigure. "We were lucky, weren't we?"

Naori grabbed the bags from Sayora's hand and reached into one of them, taking out a taiyaki. "It smells so good!" she said as she took a bite.

"Weren't those for your brother?"

"It's okay! If he eats too much, he'll get fat. I'm just helping him!"

Sayora sweat dropped. _This kid…_ She glanced at Naori and couldn't help but smile at her cute expression as she ate.

"Ah, it's Mommy!" Naori suddenly said as she turned to wave to someone.

Sayora turned to see the woman that Naori was waving to and felt her heart stop. Her eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. The woman she saw walking toward them couldn't be real. Sayora convinced herself that she _had _to be dreaming… then, she suddenly recalled something Naori had said earlier.

"_I know! If I buy Onii-chan some taiyaki, he won't be mad at me!" _

_Onii-chan…_ "Na… Naori…" Sayora said, her voice quivering. "That woman is definitely your mom… right?"

"Mmhm," she replied, confused by the odd sounding question.

"Your brother… what's his name…?"

Naori looked up at Sayora and smiled cluelessly. "Kan. Souma Kan."

At that moment, Sayora felt all of her strength leave her. She felt as if she were about to collapse, but she was so paralyzed with shock that she couldn't even do _that_. It didn't even feel like she was in control of her body anymore. Rather, it felt like her body was simply a shell that she was trapped in. Everything felt so surreal… but not in a good way.

"What're you doing here without your brother, Naori?" Sayora heard the girl's mother ask as she stopped in front of them. She then watched as the woman bent down to give her daughter a quick hug.

"This is the onee-chan that brought me home the other day!"

The young woman looked at Sayora. "So you're the famous girl that Naori has been talking about nonstop since that night," she said with a small, friendly smile.

Sayora stared at the woman in front of her for a while before she somehow managed to force a light smile back and reply, "I-is that so?" _I have to act normal…_ she told herself. _It's okay… she doesn't remember who I am… it'll be okay…_

"What strange hair and eye color," the young woman said, studying Sayora with great interest. "Ah, how rude of me! I'm sorry. My name is Chiharu. I'm Naori's mother. And you are?"

Sayora could feel a lump growing in her throat. It took her everything she had not to break down and cry. "I'm… Sa…" She trailed off.

"Sa?"

She couldn't tell this woman her real name. "Sayora." She had intended to lie to her and tell her a fake name, but the word slipped out before she could stop herself.

"Oh, what a cute name!" Chiharu exclaimed. "Very fitting for a cute girl!"

"Ah, no, not at all," Sayora humbly replied, forcing a small laugh.

"Did you dye your hair?"

"No," she replied, feeling tired from feigning her smile. "It's natural."

"Ah, so then… you eyes are also…"

"They're also natural."

"Could it be that… you're one of what they call the 'Jyuunishi'?"

Sayora looked up in surprise.

"So it's just as I thought!" Chiharu replied, seeming amazed and interested.

After a slight hesitation, Sayora replied. "Yes."

"Wah, so then you're also a Souma!" Naori exclaimed excitedly. "Do you have any siblings then? The Souma family is huuuuuge, so you must have a brother or sister, right?"

Sayora tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it only seemed make the feeling worse. "I had a brother, but he's not here anymore."

Chiharu looked at Sayora sadly. "I'm so sorry to hear that…" she replied sympathetically.

Naori looked back and forth between Sayora and her mother, not understanding what Sayora had meant. "What do you mean? Did he go away on a trip somewhere?"

"Naori, stop asking Sayora nee-chan such personal questions," Chiharu scolded her daughter, looking up at Sayora. "I'm sorry," she apologized for her daughter's innocent prying.

"It's alright," she assured with an unconvincing smile.

"What about your parents?" Naori asked.

Chiharu noticed Sayora's smile slowly fade away. "Naori! I thought I told you to stop that!" she scolded her daughter more firmly.

"It's alright," Sayora told the woman as she turned to Naori with another feigned smile. "My parents went on a trip too."

Chiharu looked at Sayora sadly.

"When will they be coming back? I really want to meet your family!"

"Naori, enough!" Chiharu turned her daughter toward the parking spaces. "You see our car right over there?" she asked, pointing to a minivan not too far away. "Go help Daddy get the stuff out of the car."

"Awww," Naori whined.

"If you don't, we won't be able to watch the fireworks tonight," Chiharu replied.

"Ah, okay!" Naori quickly replied as she rushed over to her father. "Onee-chan, you're coming to watch the fireworks with us, okay?" she yelled back without waiting for a reply.

Chiharu looked at the young girl standing in front of her. "To be left all alone at such a young age… you must be very lonely."

"Somewhat," Sayora replied. She could feel herself overflowing. Everything that had been left unsaid when she was younger was about to be spilled onto this woman. "I… feel like it's the same either way." Chiharu stared at Sayora silently in curiosity. "Whether my parents were physically there for me or not, I felt abandoned from the very beginning…"

"Is that so…" Chiharu replied gently. "I've heard rumors that parents of the Jyuunishi are either overprotective of their children or they reject them completely."

Sayora didn't reply.

"If Naori or her brother was born as a Jyuunishi, I wouldn't love them any differently than I do now," she said. "I would let them know how lucky I was to have them in my life and that whether they were cursed or not didn't change the fact that they were still my precious children. I wouldn't be able to imagine abandoning them." Chiharu gave a small smile and blushed, seeming to be embarrassed for saying such things out loud. "I know my husband feels the exact same way."

Sayora felt like crying. "I didn't ask to be born this way," she said quietly, her voice pained. "I tried so hard to make up for everything my parents had to lose by giving birth to a cursed child like me. I just wanted to be happy, and I wanted _them_ to be happy. My whole life, I chased after this fleeting happiness… and when I realized that it would never be within my reach, I just… wanted to be acknowledged by them… I wanted to feel that my existence here meant something, _anything_, to them…" The tears gathering in the corner of her eyes were threatening to overflow.

"It must've been very hard on you." Chiharu said sympathetically, watching as Sayora's tears began to stream down her face.

"I know that it's my fault for being this way," she continued through her sobbing. "I don't blame them for abandoning me… the only person I blame is myself! If only I hadn't been born with this curse…" Sayora squeezed her eyes shut, tears flowing down her already soaked face. She lifted both of her trembling hands to try and wipe away the tears, but they wouldn't stop coming. "They gave me life, and yet I didn't have anything to give them in return… I couldn't do _anything_ for them!"

"You won't solve anything by blaming yourself," Chiharu replied gently.

"I know! I know that! But I can't help it! All I wanted was a normal life! A normal family who loved me like a normal child! Yet everything fell apart because I was born with this curse!" Sayora stopped and tried to calm herself down. "… My parents will never know how much I wish I could take it all back… if I never existed, all the grief I caused them would never…" she trailed off, still trying to wipe away her tears. "No… that's all… a lie… what I really wanted was for them to love me… even if I couldn't have a normal life, I at least wanted have a family that would love me… even if that love was a lie…!"

Sayora had never felt so exposed before in her life. This was the first person she had ever poured her feelings onto. To Chiharu, Sayora truly looked like a scared and helpless child.

"There were so many things I wanted them to know about me…" Sayora mumbled through a sob. _That's right, Mom… Dad… I wanted you to know that no matter what, I still loved you… even if you threw me away and abandoned me, I couldn't bring myself to do the same to you…_

Sayora's eyes widened in shock when Chiharu suddenly gave her a comforting hug. "Don't ever say things like 'I wish I were dead'. Everything happens for a reason. God created obstacles in life to separate the strong from the weak. The fact that you had the strength to make it this far means that you are meant to live."

Hearing such words from Chiharu's clear and unwavering voice made a surge of newfound strength flow into Sayora's aching heart. However, it was a bittersweet feeling that forced her to remember the situation she was in.

"Fate will make it up to you… because fate doesn't abandon people who fight as hard as you do. So stay strong, okay?" She let go of Sayora and gave her an assuring smile, wiping away some of Sayora's tears with her hands. "Keep fighting, and things will surely get better for you."

"Mommy! I'm done helping Daddy!" Naori cried cheerfully as she ran back to the two women.

"Oh? That was fast," she replied, turning to her daughter.

"Let's go watch the—" Naori stopped mid-sentence as a worried look came over her face. "Onee-chan, what's wrong?" she asked, noticing Sayora's red, puffy eyes.

Sayora could only stare down at the girl, unable to answer her.

"Her family's on vacation, remember? She was just telling Mommy how lonely she was," Chiharu said, answering the question for her.

Naori looked saddened by her mother's reply and went to hug Sayora. "You can come be in _our_ family until yours comes back," she offered.

However, hearing that only made Sayora want to cry again. She truly _did_ want to be a part of their family, but she knew it was impossible.

"That's enough, Naori," Chiharu said as she pulled her away and picked her up into her arms. "Families can't simply be replaced like that."

"But—"

"No buts!" She playfully poked her daughter's cheek. "We have to go help Daddy take all of the things up to where we're going to watch the fireworks, okay?"

Naori laughed, trying to get away from her mother's hands which were tickling her.

Sayora watched them, her heart longing for a childhood that never existed for her. "You have a daughter who is very kind, compassionate, gentle… truly like an angel… truly… a very beautiful daughter… " she praised with a light smile, rubbing Naori's head. "Please… love her very much…"

"Eh?" _What an odd thing to say…_ Chiharu thought, wondering why Sayora told her that.

_Give her all the love that you couldn't bring yourself to give to me…_ Sayora thought as she turned to leave.

"Ah! Onee-chan! Come watch the fireworks with us!" Naori pleaded.

"Sorry, I can't," she replied. "I have to go home for today."

"Sayora-chan," Chiharu called, stopping her. "If you ever feel lonely, Naori and I are always here. We may not be your true family, but that doesn't mean we can't love you like one. You know where to find us if you ever need us."

…_No…_ Sayora turned around and forced one last smile at them. _This will be the last time we meet… Naori… __**Mom**__…_

As she left the festival, she felt an uncontrollable rage build inside of her. There was only one person who would do such a thing… and she wasn't going to let that person go.

-Few Moments Later, Haru-

"Ah! Haru, over here!" Tohru and the others heard Momiji yell from a distance.

The all looked over in the direction Momiji was waving in and sure enough, they saw the white-haired boy. They looked back at the blonde-haired teen and noticed four other people with him, one of them being Naori. Tohru and the others made their way over to the other group.

"Momiji-kun! Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru called out to them, making the two flinch as they turned around.

"Friends of yours?" Chiharu asked as she and her family joined everyone. "You're welcomed to join us."

"Is there enough room?" Shigure asked, taking them up on their offer.

"Of course there is!" she replied.

"I'll lay the blanket out," Yuujin said as he took one out from one of the bags he was carrying.

"I'll help!" Naori offered enthusiastically.

"What happened?" Haru asked Tohru in a hushed voice, sounding panicked. "I thought you were going to the other spot!"

"When we got there, it was already filled up," Tohru replied with a sheepish smile.

Meanwhile, Yuki stared at the family in shock. "K… Kan! Is that you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yuki, right?" Kan replied.

"But… how is this possible? You're still—"

He saw the look on Momiji's face and that was more than enough to stop him from saying anything more. He glanced at Kyo and Haru's faces and saw that they had the exact same expression, one mixed with dread and guilt. He wasn't sure of what the situation was. That, he would have to ask his cousins later. What he _did_ know was that there had to be a good reason for his cousins to stop him, and he wasn't about to blow their cover.

"I'm still what?" Kan asked, wondering why Yuki had suddenly gone quiet.

"Here," Yuki replied without much thinking.

Kan gave him a questioning look.

"I-I mean, I haven't seen you in so long. I thought that maybe you went to study abroad or something," he lied, quite convincingly.

"Is that why you were so surprised to see me today?" Kan asked Kyo.

"Y-yeah…" Kyo went along.

Tohru looked around, wondering where the last member of their group was. "Naori-san," she called. "Sayora-san was with you, wasn't she? Do you know where she is?"

Sayora's name made Kyo, Yuki, Haru, and Momiji flinch. They all, including Shigure, turned to look at Kan who seemed to have been temporarily frozen.

"She said she was going home," Naori replied to the question addressed to her.

"Eh? Going home?" Tohru repeated.

"I told her to come watch the fireworks with us but she wouldn't come."

"Naori… that onee-chan you were with, you said her name was… Sayora…?" Kan managed to ask through his shock.

"Mmhm," she replied.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way that it was true.

"I wonder if she's okay…" Tohru said worriedly.

"Are you talking about Sayora-chan?" Chiharu asked from behind Tohru, having overheard their conversation.

That name leaving Chiharu's mouth shocked even Shigure.

"What did you say, Mom…?" Kan asked.

"I said Sayora-chan, right?" she repeated. "She seemed quite upset when I saw her earlier."

"You were with her?" Kan asked, his disbelief growing exponentially with each second.

"Yes, just by the entrance."

All of the Jyuunishi members exchanged quick glances with each other. They were so immersed in their own thoughts that the sound of the first firework going off made them all jump.

"Haru, we have to…" Momiji said in a frantic whisper.

The boy didn't have to finish his sentence. Haru already understood what he was trying to say.

"Yuujin-san, Chiharu-san," Haru said. "Sorry, but we have to go."

The two boys left before either of the adults could reply. Kyo and Yuki exchanged a glance and nodded, both leaving as well.

"Ah, Kyo-kun! Yuki-kun!" Tohru called after them.

"C'mon Tohru-kun, we'd better go, too," Shigure said calmly, seeming like his usual self. "Sorry to leave you so soon," he said to Yuujin and Chiharu. "Enjoy the fireworks for me."

Tohru gave a quick bow before following leaving with Shigure.

"Mommy, why is everyone leaving?" Naori asked.

"They're probably just worried about Sayora nee-chan," she replied.

"I'm worried about her, too! Let's go see her with everyone!"

Yuujin looked at Chiharu and smiled. This was one of the many things they loved about their daughter, her purity.

"Hey, Naori… you go ahead and watch the fireworks with Mom and Dad, okay?" Kan said.

"What about you, Onii-chan?"

"I'll go check on that onee-chan for you," he replied, patting his little sister on the head. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

-Meanwhile-

Sayora marched down the path leading to the Main House. Kureno, who happened to be on his way back from an errand, stopped when he saw his cousin.

"Sayora… what're you doing here?" he asked, making his way toward her. A glare from her made him flinch. "W-what's wrong?"

"Where's Akito?" she demanded.

Kureno stared at Sayora. Something wasn't right. "… In her room…" he replied after a while. "What're you going to…"

She continued to march into the house.** "I'm gonna kill her,"** she answered, her eyes glowing with fury.

-Next Chapter's Preview-

Hopeless Chapter 28- The Curse of the Wolf

Sayora attacks Akito, completely blinded by her anger and grief. However, in her moment of blind fury, she forgets about God's "protection" against the wolf's betrayal: the curse. Just when Sayora is about ready to kill Akito, her necklace suddenly snaps off to reveal what she really is…


	29. The Curse of the Wolf

**dna**- So... what valuable lesson have I learned from writing this chapter? **ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR WRITING!** I actually had this chapter done months ago (back sometime in the middle of January). So why did it take so long to update? Well... I had saved this chapter on my usb so that I could take it to work and work on it when I had nothing else to do. When I'd finally finished the chapter at work, I took it home to upload it. Well... in the span of about 15 minutes (the time it took for me to get home), the mem stick decided to "corrupt" all the data in itself. Seriously. WTF MAN! I came so close to giving up on rewriting this...

So anyway, because of what happened, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that it took so long to update and that I'm sorry if things feel a bit rushed or off here and there in this chapter. I was feeling quite impatient and frustrated to say the least -_-... Also, a warning to all, this is a pretty dark/angsty/emo chapter lol.

Just one last thing I wanted to say. I had quite a few reviews from people from fanbbs (or at least... I think I did). One person in particular told me that there was an argument going on about my OC there so I actually went and checked it out... and I just have to say, really, thanks for all the support that was given for my story. However, I do realize that my characterization of Sayora wasn't (and still is not) perfect. This story that I've written is far from perfect as well. I know there's a lot I still have to improve on, so please don't attack anyone for voicing their personal opinions. My story really isn't at the level where it's worth arguing over anyway =P

But yeah, as always, thank you thank you thank you for you patience and continued support! Despite the fact that the content isn't as good as it originally was (imo), I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

**Hopeless Chapter 28 – The Curse of the Wolf**

"Ah… Sayora-san—"

The elder servant was pushed aside as Sayora continued down the hall.

"Sayora! Wait! Please, calm down!" Kureno said as he followed her down to Akito's room.

"Kureno-san, what's going on?" the angry servant demanded to know, grabbing him by his arm.

"Run down and call Hatori-san!" he ordered. "Hurry!"

The servant, becoming frightened by the situation, nodded and quickly made her way out of the house.

Akito looked away from the window as the door to her room suddenly slid open…

-Kyo and Yuki-

The door to Shigure's house slammed open as the two boys rushed in.

"Sayora!" Kyo shouted, running past Yuki and toward the stairs. "Sayora!" he shouted again as he burst into her room to find no one there. _Dammit! Where is she?_ he thought desperately as he stepped away from her room. Remembering that Sayora usually went to the roof when she was feeling troubled, Kyo decided to try his luck there.

Meanwhile, Yuki thoroughly searched the entire first floor, including the backyard. The house was empty. It wasn't long before he heard Kyo coming back down the stairs to join him in the living room. Kyo didn't need to ask whether Yuki had found her or not. The answer was painfully obvious.

"If she's not here, then where did she go?" Yuki wondered worriedly.

Kyo lost count of how many times he felt his heart clench in fear in the past few hours. Yuki's question only added to the tension and anxiety he felt at the moment. He wanted nothing more than to know where Sayora was right now, but it was also the one thing he dreaded finding out. What if she really disappeared this time? The idea of that happening made him shudder, but he couldn't let it distract him now.

"Where're you going?" Yuki asked when he saw Kyo suddenly move toward the door.

"Where else? To look for the dumb wolf," he answered, sounding more concerned than annoyed.

Yuki silently watched Kyo leave the house before following him out.

"Kyo, wait!" Yuki called as he caught up with his cousin.

"What do you want?" the orange-haired boy replied, clearly irritable as he rushed down the path that ran from Shigure's front door to the entrance of his property.

"Just _where_ do you plan on looking for her?"

However, Kyo didn't reply and continued on his way.

"Kyo!" Yuki called, becoming frustrated. "Would you calm down?"

"Calm down?" Kyo repeated as he suddenly stopped and whipped around, almost making Yuki crash into him. "That idiot just ran off somewhere! Who knows where she is or what she's doing right now! Don't tell me to goddamn calm down!"

Yuki stared at his cousin, eyes wide with shock, speechless at the sudden angry outburst.

"That idiot… she…" The frustrated boy couldn't find words fit to describe the fear he felt.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a rustling sound coming from the woods around them. Their heads instantly perked up in the direction of the sound just in time to see something dash by them behind the trees.

"Sayora!" Kyo called as he and Yuki took off in the same direction.

-Hatsuharu and Momiji-

The only things that could be heard in the silent night were the pounding footsteps and staggered breaths of Momiji and Hatsuharu as they raced to Shigure's house.

"Hurry up, Momiji!" Haru yelled as he stopped to wait for his cousin who was quite a distance behind him.

When the blond boy finally caught up, he stopped and placed his hands on his knees, trying his best to catch his breath. "Sorry," he apologized for slowing them down.

"Kyo and Yuki are probably already there…" Haru said to himself. He then looked at his exhausted cousin. "Let's hurry, Momiji."

With a nod, the two were ready to be on their way again, but suddenly…

_CRASHHH!_

Haru and Momiji's heads snapped in the direction of the sound.

"What was that?" Momiji asked, sounding alarmed.

_From the Main House…?_ Haru wondered as he stared at the wall beside him, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"You don't think that was…"

"C'mon," Haru said as he ran to the front gate.

-Meanwhile-

"Well, if it isn't Sayora," Akito greeted humorlessly in a teasing way, curious about the sudden visit. "Have you finally decided to come back to me?"

Akito's eyes shifted behind Sayora when she heard frantic footsteps coming down the hall.

"Sayora!"

The door was immediately slid shut and locked before Akito could see who it was. However, she already knew all too well who the panicked voice belonged to. Kureno. Akito narrowed her eyes at her intruder in suspicion. Suddenly, she didn't feel so amused anymore.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" the head of the family demanded to know.

Sayora said nothing. Akito, becoming frightened, backed away as the silver-haired girl advanced toward her with eyes glowing with fury.

"G-get away from me!" Akito ordered, grabbing the nearest object, being a pillow, and chucking it at Sayora who knocked it away with ease.

"Sayora!" Kureno shouted, trying to get the door open. "Sayora, open the door!"

Akito continued to back away until she bumped into the wall behind her. Her frightened eyes never left the figure in front of her. They couldn't. It was as if Sayora's fury had an aura of its own which gripped Akito's eyes and refused to let them look anywhere else.

"S-stop! Don't come any closer!"

To Akito's surprise, Sayora stopped.

"Akito, you… why did you lie to me?"

The head of the family looked confused. "Wha—"

"WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME ABOUT MY FAMILY?" Sayora shouted with anguished, tear-filled eyes as she slammed her fist into the wall beside her, making Akito jump. She could feel all of the anger she was trying to hold back burst out at once.

Akito's eyes widened in shock. She was clearly unprepared for the sudden and abrupt accusation.

"TELL ME AKITO! WHY?" Sayora demanded to know. "WHY DID YOU DO IT?"

Akito didn't even get the chance to reply. Within a second, the collar of her yukata was already in Sayora's hand. The silver-haired girl slammed the older woman against the wall.

"SAY SOMETHING GODDAMMIT! DON'T JUST STAND THERE WITH THAT FUCKING BLANK LOOK ON YOUR FACE!"

Sayora could hear the door forcefully break open followed by panicked voices and pounding footsteps, but she didn't let herself be bothered with it at that instant. Rather, what she was _really_ bothered by was Akito's silence.

"WHY AREN'T YOU SAYING ANYTHING?" she shouted. "DID YOU DO IT JUST SO YOU CAN WATCH ME TORTURE MYSELF OVER IT? YOU TOLD ME THEY WERE DEAD! AKITO YOU FUCKING LIAR!"

"Sayora!" Hatori yelled before grabbing her from behind, pulling her away and restraining her from harming the head of the family any further. "Sayora, calm down!"

Kureno immediately ran to Akito's side, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" he asked the clearly frightened woman.

Both Haru and Momiji stood frozen at the entrance to the room, dumbfounded by the scene that had and was still unraveling before them. They had never seen Sayora so angry before. It was as if she had completely lost her mind. Both of the boys' hearts sank heavily with dread at the thought of losing the Sayora they knew… and the worst part of it was knowing that they were the ones responsible for the majority of the way things had turned out.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A—!" Sayora screamed, trying to attack Akito as Hatori struggled to keep her away. Tears were gushing out of her eyes. She didn't know whether she was crying out of anger or overwhelming grief anymore. She just wanted get her hands on Akito and squeeze the life out of her. "I'LL KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME AKITO? I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"Sayora! Stop this! You have to calm down!" Hatori pleaded.

"You've misunderstood! Let us explain!" Kureno tried to tell the rampaging girl.

Akito watched as the scene before her unfolded, a crazed smile steadily creeping its way onto her face. "Ha… hahaha…"

Kureno looked over as the woman beside him stepped toward Sayora. His hand instinctively reached out in an attempt to stop her from taking a second step. "Akito—"

"I'm a liar?" Akito asked Sayora. "_I'm_ the liar?" Her crazed smile was replaced by a look of outrage. "You should be grateful to me you brainless mutt! I saved them! I saved your worthless family from a monster! You should be on your knees thanking me!"

"Akito, stop it!" Kureno replied, holding her back.

Sayora's brows were nearly completely knitted together. "_YOU_ SHOULD BE THE ONE ON YOUR KNEES!" She swung her arms back and grazed the side of Hatori's face with her elbow.

"Sayora, listen to me! Stop before it's too late!" the doctor warned her desperately, wincing slightly from the blow.

"LET ME GO HATORI!" Sayora screamed. "DAMMIT! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU TOO! YOU KNEW EVERYTHING, DIDN'T YOU? YOU KNEW FROM THE VERY BEGINNING YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! YOU ERASED THEIR MEMORIES, DIDN'T YOU? LET ME **GO**!"

Her outburst caught Hatori off guard. Shocked by her comment, he accidentally loosened his hold for just a split second, but that was all the time Sayora needed to wrench herself free of his hold. "Sayora!" The doctor immediately went after her, but it was already too late.

Seeing the young girl lunge at her, Akito stepped back in fright, tripping over her own foot and falling on her back.

"Sayora, no!" Kureno warned.

And to everyone's surprise, she suddenly stopped. The room was dead silent. Akito stared wide-eyed at the silver-haired girl who was frozen in spot, inches away from her. Without warning, she fell to her hands and knees. Her hand gripped her chest in pain. Her heart was racing so fast and pounding her chest with so much force that it seemed like it would rip itself out of her body.

Once again, Akito let out deranged laugh that ripped through the silence of the room. "You _stupid _wolf!"

Hatori and Kureno both helplessly watched in horror as Sayora's necklace snapped off and fell to the ground with a thud. Akito pulled herself to her feet and looked down at Sayora as if she were an inferior creature.

"You think you can actually kill me?"

Sayora was practically gasping for air.

"How brainless can you get?" Akito shouted. "You're bounded by the curse! You're the 'protector' of God!"

Haru and Momii silently watched in horror as Sayora's steadily enlarging body began to undergo a grotesque transformation. Her limbs seemed to nearly explode to two times their original sizes. The hair that appeared as if it were forcing its way through her body was ripping through the clothes she wore.

"YOU CAN'T LAY A FINGER ON ME!" Akito shouted deliriously.

The two young boys were paralyzed by fear as Sayora took her full form. The claws on her massive paw made a deep scratch on the floor with the slight shift of her leg. A low, dangerous growl emitted from behind her gritted teeth. Her fur stood up as straight as her ears. It was as if she felt she was being threatened by everyone's presence in the room.

"Kill me?" Akito nearly spat. "You were born to serve me! Protect me! Protect our bonds!"

Sayora's ears twitched as she listened to Akito's words.

"YOU'RE A SLAVE TO THE CURSE!"

"Akito!" both Hatori and Kureno pleaded.

"REMEMBER YOUR PLACE AND YOUR DUTY TO IT, YOU MUTT!"

The oversized wolf let out a shrilling cry before turning its head in the direction of Haru and Momiji. Its black eyes pierced through the two boys and struck a brand new fear into them.

"Akito! Stop her!" Hatori demanded. However, he was ignored as the head of the family simply continued to watch the events unfold.

"S-Sayora! Don't!" Kureno begged.

The wolf's head snapped in the young man's direction before letting out another deafening cry.

-Kyo and Yuki-

Kyo felt a sudden jolt in his heart and abruptly stopped running. Yuki turned to look at his cousin who was staring blankly ahead of him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, somewhat worried about the strange look on his face.

"She's… she's not here…" Kyo said.

"What?"

"She's not here," the orange-haired boy repeated as he turned around and stared off into the distance. "She's at the Main House…" he said, taking off without warning.

"Hey! Wait!" Yuki yelled as he ran after him. "How do you know?"

"I just do!" he replied. With each step he took toward the Main House, the dreadful feeling in his gut grew, but he didn't understand why. He couldn't explain where the feeling came from, or even how he knew that Sayora was at the Main House. He just had a really strong feeling that something had gone horribly wrong. It was as if that feeling was calling out to him, drawing him to where he needed to go.

-Few Moments Later-

Yuki and Kyo arrived at the Main House and immediately rushed in. They could hear the commotion from far beyond the high walls surrounding the Souma estate. There was so much panic inside that they couldn't even tell which way to go. As they stood back and watched, Kyo spotted a familiar figure racing toward Akito's house. It was unmistakably Kan.

_What is he…?_ Kyo wondered to himself as he began to follow him.

"Kyo! Where're you—" As Yuki turned to look at his cousin, he caught sight of a grey..._ thing_ through a slight clearing in the bushes and trees. Though he was hardly able to make out the figure from where he stood, he had no doubt that it was the same creature he saw years ago that had been etched into his mind ever since. The memory of that day literally sent an unsettling chill down Yuki's spine. _Sayora…_ he thought worriedly as he began to make his way through the trees.

Kyo was almost halfway to Akito's house before he realized that he was by himself. He glanced back and stopped when he saw Yuki's shrinking figure running off in the opposite direction. _Did… did he find her?_

-Meanwhile-

Kan dashed down the hall and slammed the door to the room open. He looked in. No one.

"Dammit!" he cursed in frustration. It was his first time back in Akito's house in over ten years. He couldn't remember where everything was anymore. _That servant said he was in his room! Where the hell is his room?_

He took a moment to catch his breath and looked down the hall. It was then that he noticed that the door to one of the rooms had been broken in to. Kan steadily made his way down the hall and to the room.

_Please be there…_

He looked in. The room was empty, but it was a total mess. There were a few scratches on the wall and all over the floors. The futon on the ground had been torn up and there was shattered glass everywhere. The closet door had been snapped in half. Pieces of paper from the ripped up sliding doors were scattered about the ground. Kan slammed his fist against the door frame. His exasperation was building by the second.

Suddenly, he noticed something shining on the floor of the dimly lit room.

_Yes…_ he thought as he went over and picked it up. _With this, I won't need Akito._

Kan turned around and ran back out the room, the necklace gripped tightly in his clenched hand.

* * *

_**Wha… what's going on…? I can't…**_

"Stop!"

"Get away from her!"

… _**Those voices… Hatori… and Kureno…**_

"Haru, Momiji! What happened? Why is she—"

… _**and Yuki… why are they yelling? What's happening?**_

"How are we going to change her back?" one of the servants panicked.

"I'll do it!" It was Kureno's voice.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Hatori objected. "It's too dangerous!"

"I'm the only one who can do it!"

"She'll kill you!"

_**Oh… I must've transformed… No… I don't like this. I'll end up hurting someone again…**_

"Sa-Syora?"

_**Kyo… is that Kyo?**_

"What the hell happened…?"

"Kyo, get away from her!"

_**I'm scared… I'm sorry Kyo… **_

"What's going on?"

_**I'm really sorry. I love you. So please… just disappear out of my life. I don't want to hurt you! **_

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Kyo's face as he stared at the wolf monster baring its large fangs at him.

_**Please!**_

"Kyo!" Hatori shouted as the wolf lunged at the orange-haired boy.

The wolf's claw narrowly missed Kyo as he stumbled out of the way at the very last minute. His shirt however, wasn't as lucky. There were two long tears down the front across his body.

"Akito! Listen to me! You have to stop her!" Kureno tried to reason with her. "This isn't okay! People are going to get hurt!"

An uncharacteristic roar from the wolf turned Kureno's attention away from Akito. He watched as the monster literally threw itself at Kyo, flinging him to the ground and pinning him down with one of its paws. Kyo winced slightly from the claws that were digging into his shoulder. He could feel each ragged breath hitting his face.

_**No… stop…**_

"Sa… Sayora…" Kyo was trying to push the wolf's heavy foot off with his free arm. _Shit… this really hurts…she's really trying to kill me!_

"Akito! Stop her now!" Kureno desperately pleaded.

"Stop her?" Akito asked. "Why should I?"

"She'll kill him! Do you want that?" Hatori asked.

Akito frowned in anger and displeasure. "If you want to stop her so bad, _**then do it yourself!**_"

Yuki tried to tackle the large beast off of Kyo. He made enough impact through its thick fur to draw its attention away from the orange-haired boy lying on the ground. The second it turned its head away, Kyo grabbed the foot on his shoulder and twisted it off of him with all his might. The monster lost its balance and stumbled back. Both Kyo and Yuki quickly moved away from the angry wolf. However, the large creature recovered quicker than they both had expected.

"K-Kyo!" Yuki yelled as he watched the top of the wolf's paw slam into his cousin's chest, sending him crashing into the trunk of a tree.

Kyo fell to the ground coughing, finding it difficult to breathe properly after such a hard impact.

_**Please…**_

Kyo could only watch as the wolf slowly advanced toward him, its piercing black eyes fixated on his frightened red ones. Its snarl steadily grew louder, its breath heavier, with each step it took toward the defenseless man.

_**Someone… please stop me!**_

Without warning, the wolf suddenly leapt at Kyo once again. He was unable to do anything but watch as its wide-opened mouth closed in on him. Kyo squeezed his eyes shut and looked away, bracing himself for the painful, and possibly final blow.

"NO!"

Kan suddenly jumped out at the wolf, reaching for its mouth. He managed to maneuver his arm around its head and pulled himself closer to it, hugging its mouth tightly shut. They both hit the ground with a loud thud. Kyo cracked his eyes opened to see the wolf shaking its head furiously, trying to throw Kan off of it. One of its claw managed to catch Kan across his back as it tried to brush him off with its two front legs, leaving a long, shallow scratch.

"Be careful!" Hatori warned as he and Kureno ran and tried to help restrain the distracted wolf.

"Don't just sit there! Get away, stupid cat!" Yuki yelled to a dazed Kyo.

After a few moments of struggling, Kan finally managed to wrap his arms around the wolf's body, hugging it tightly against him. It suddenly started to stumble around, tripping over its own feet and collapsing to the ground. The large monster began to calm down as its body slowly shrank until it finally returned to the size of Sayora's normal Jyuunishi form, its claws and hair receding back to their normal length. Kan quickly snapped the necklace back in place.

"Sh… she returned to normal…" Yuki said, staring in amazement.

Kyo unsteadily tried to pull himself back on his feet, but even the slightest movement caused him pain at the moment, so he let himself sit back against the tree again. Both Hatori and Kureno let out an exhausted sigh.

_Sayora…_ Kan thought as he lied where he was, his eyes slowly closing on him, his arms still gently wrapped around his little sister's small and unconscious wolf form. _You're okay now Sayora…_

Hatori's eyes widened, noticing a dark, crimson liquid staining the grass beside the young man. "Kan?" the doctor asked worriedly as he rushed over to him. "Kan!" He gently rolled him on his back. On the left side of his stomach, there was a stab wound about two inches deep.

"I told you…"

Everyone turned to look at Akito who had spoke with a trembling voice.

"I told you I was protecting them, you monster! Look at what you did to your brother!" The look on Akito's face was like that of a child who had been caught doing something wrong. "This isn't my fault. I told you I was protecting them… I told you…"

* * *

Tohru stole a shy glance at Shigure's back as he led her down the unfamiliar street. Shigure hadn't said a word to her since they left the festival together. She couldn't stand it. His silence made her mind race endlessly about the different possibilities of what could be going on. She wanted to ask him what was happening, but she didn't want it to seem like she was sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Tohru squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. She didn't know whether she should speak up or not. The anxious girl stole another glance at Shigure's back. She clenched her hands nervously and stopped walking, finally drawing up the courage to question him.

"Shigure-san."

He paused mid-step.

"Where are we going?" Tohru asked, sounding clearly worried. "What's going on?"

For a few seconds, the two stood silently where they were, one nervously fidgeting while the other calmly staring down the dark street they had been traveling on.

"Shigure-san," Tohru pushed, not wanting to be kept in the dark.

"What do you think of Naori-chan?" he suddenly asked.

_Eh…?_ She was confused about what his question had to do with what she wanted to know.

"She was cute, wasn't she? And sweet too."

Tohru didn't know where Shigure was going with this.

"That girl is Sayora-chan's little sister."

Tohru's eyes widened, surprised by the unexpected news. "Sayora-san's little—…" Her words cut off mid-way. It was in this moment that Shigure's words truly hit her. "Sayora-san's… little sister…?" she asked, feeling her heart sink. _But then… that would mean that those people with Naori-san are…_ "Wh… why?" Tohru asked, already feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "I… I don't understand. Sayora-san said that her parents died. She said that—"

"Do you want to know?" Shigure interrupted the upset young girl, finally turning around to face her. He had a humorless, almost regretful smile on his face. "I'll tell you everything if you want."

Tohru watched as he walked by her and took a seat on the railing on the side of the road.

"You should already know this, but Sayora-chan, being the wolf of the zodiac, is the 'protector' of God," Shigure began. "That so being the case, it was decided that Sayora-chan was to leave her family and live in the Main House with Akito, isolated from contact with other people including those of the Jyuunishi so that a strong bond could be developed between the two. That way, she would dutifully fulfill her role as the loyal protector of God. With no outside contact, she would have no reason to betray him.

"However, Sayora-chan's family refused to give her up. They pleaded with the Main House to let her live a normal life, but they objected, claiming that it was the duty of all those in the zodiac to fulfill their respective roles to God. Neither side refused to give in, so those in the Main House resorted to other methods of taking Sayora-chan… _They lied_." Shigure looked at Tohru's already tear-stained face, but continued nonetheless. "They decided to tear the family apart. They allowed Sayora-chan's parents to visit her less and less until finally, they successfully managed to cut them off from their daughter completely. They told Sayora-chan's parents that their daughter didn't want to see them anymore…

"Her parents didn't believe them and relentlessly continued to visit the Main House, asking to at least let them see their daughter again. Sayora-chan's mother couldn't cope being without her. The Main House didn't know what to do, so they ordered both of her parents' memories to be wiped. Sayora-chan's brother, Kan-kun, continually demanded to see her and threatened to expose the Souma family secret if they didn't let him. One of the servants felt sorry for him, so instead of having his memories erased, she told him that the 'truth' was that Sayora-chan had died of an illness and that her death had driven his parents insane. They couldn't take losing her, so their memories were erased in order to save them from going crazy. With no way to confirm what the servant told him, Kan-kun had no choice but to believe her.

"When Sayora-chan finally asked to see her family again, they said to her, _'Your family committed suicide.'_"

Tohru's hand covered her mouth in disbelief. Her eyes were swollen; her face was practically soaked with tears at this point.

"'_They couldn't accept a monster in their life.'_"

Tohru felt her heart aching with grief.

"'_In the end, they couldn't accept the weight of their sins.'_"

She didn't want to hear anymore, but Shigure didn't seem to care.

"'_The only place you belong to is next to God. This was all your fault.'_"

"Stop…"

But Shigure didn't. _"'It's all because you betrayed God.'_"

"Please!" Tohru begged through her sobbing. "Please… no more… I can't…" she trailed off weakly. "Please…"

Shigure looked up at the weeping girl. "It's painful, isn't it?" he asked. "Can you imagine what it must be like to find out that all of that pain was nothing but a lie?"

Tohru felt like her heart was being crushed. What kinds of emotions must Sayora have been feeling at the moment? Anger? Sadness? She couldn't even begin to imagine…

-Next Morning-

Kan looked away from the window he had been staring out of when he heard the door to his hospital room creak open. Haru and Momiji both hesitated slightly before slowly walking in.

"Hey," Momiji greeted with a small smile. He had tried to sound like his usual self, but the guilt and fear in his voice was painfully obvious. "We brought you a present," he said, setting the melon down on the small table stand beside his bed.

"How're you feeling?" Haru asked, doing a better job of sounding normal.

"Okay," Kan replied. "… The doctors said I'll be discharged in a couple days."

"Oh, I see. That's good to hear."

A few seconds passed by in silence, but it felt like a few long awkward minutes to Momiji and Haru. They couldn't tell how Kan felt. His voice sounded tired, but other than that, he appeared to sound normal, and that was exactly why it scared them so much. They didn't know how to react. How angry was he at them? Was he okay with everything? They couldn't tell anything at all.

Momiji couldn't stand it any longer. "We're really sorry Kan!" he burst out. "We're sorry we never said anything to you about Sayo!"

Kan thought about saying something but decided to let the boy speak his mind and get everything off his chest.

"We didn't want to hide it from you but we were afraid of what would happen if we told you! We were told that your memories would be erased if we said anything! We didn't mean for you to find out this way Kan! We wanted to tell you! The whole time Haru and I knew, we… we were always… always…" There were so many thoughts running through Momiji's mind that he couldn't sort them out fast enough to speak properly. He didn't know what to say to make Kan understand how sorry he was. Anything he said would only sound like desperate excuses.

"I know an apology probably won't mean anything to you," Haru said, unable to look Kan in the eye.

The young man didn't say a single word. The expression on his face was unreadable.

"... Are... are you mad?" Momiji asked quietly. He needed to know.

Kan looked at the two boys standing nervously by his bedside. "I'm not mad," he replied, surprising them both. "I understand. You both did what you had to do. Having to face me with that secret hanging in the back of your mind must've been hard, yet you guys kept coming back to see Naori and me anyway. Having to force on a smile and act like nothing was wrong, pushing yourselves to look me in the eye as you lied to me, watching us all live as if she never existed… all of those things must've been painful to do. I know it wasn't easy."

Both Momiji and Haru had their eyes cast downward the whole time. Their dejected expression hadn't left their faces.

"Momiji. Haru," Kan said sternly. "Look at me. There's something important I have to say to the both of you."

He patiently waited for them to look up at him. However, neither of them did so. The weight of their guilt was too heavy for them to allow themselves to lift their heads. Kan mentally sighed as he watched them stand frozen in spot, their eyes glued to the floor. He didn't want them to torment themselves over what they did anymore. He was sure that they had already endured more than their fair share of suffering over this entire incident.

"Thank you," Kan said, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room.

The two boys' eyes widened at Kan's unexpected words of gratitude. Haru and Momiji finally looked up at him. The whole time they had stood before him, they could steadily feel their guilt building by the millisecond. There was so much tension building inside that it had literally made them feel sick to their stomach.

"Thank you for trying so hard to protect my memories of Sayora."

It was as if someone had shattered the chains of guilt that had shackled them to the ground. The unbearable tension that had been suffocating them was suddenly gone. They felt they could finally breathe again. Momiji looked like he was about to cry.

Kan reached his hand out and patted Momiji's head gently, trying to calm him down a bit. "Don't ever feel ashamed about what you did. Feel proud," he said, "… proud that you were willing to sacrifice so much for the sake of protecting someone else's happiness."

Momiji held back his tears. He didn't want to cry, not after the words that were just spoken to him. Kan had a small, sympathetic smile on his face as he looked from Momiji to Haru who had been silently watching them from afar.

"You too, Haru," Kan said, seeing the troubled look on the boy's face. "Sayora's been relying on you ever since you two were young. Thank you for protecting her for me."

Haru and Momiji felt saved byKan's gentle, liberating words. In their hearts, they had always believed that they couldn't be forgiven for what they'd done, yet Kan had forgiven them, and by doing so, allowed them to forgive themselves.

"Have you gone by to see Sayora yet?" Kan asked after a short while.

"Not yet," Haru answered. "They said she hasn't woken up yet."

"I see," he replied. "You two should go visit her and see how she's doing."

"Yeah…"

Momiji smiled at Kan, thankful to him for everything he said to them. "We'll come visit again tomorrow."

Kan returned the young boy's smile. "Okay."

With that, the two boys left the room, quietly shutting the door behind them. Kan's smile immediately vanished. His eyes didn't leave the door until the sound of their footsteps disappeared. Once they were gone, he looked away and closed his eyes, letting out a very slow, deep breath. Momiji's words kept ringing in his ears.

"… _Are you mad?"_

He opened his eyes and frowned, his fists clenched tightly on the blanket.

_Am I mad?_ Kan repeated Momiji's question to himself. _What the hell kind of question is __**that**__? Of course I'm mad! _He was clenching his fists so hard that his fingers started to go numb. _I'm furious!_

Kan closed his eyes again and took in a deep breath, trying to force himself to calm down. It wasn't like he didn't understand how Momiji and Haru must've felt. He understood their reasons for keeping his sister a secret from him. He really did. And he meant every word of what he had said to them…

Kan could only be thankful that he had enough self-control and dignity not to take his anger and frustrations out on them. What _exactly_ was he so angry and frustrated about? Even he didn't fully comprehend his own feelings at the moment…

-Meanwhile-

"Kyo?"

The orange-haired boy was pulled out of his thoughts as his teacher walked into his hospital room with a relieved look on his face.

"Shishou!" Kyo hadn't expected him to visit.

"I heard about what happened last night," Kazuma said. "How are your injuries?"

Kyo caught his master's worried glances. "They're fine. I'm ready to leave already but they want to keep me overnight just incase."

"I see…"

There was a short moment of silence in the room. One look at Kyo and Kazuma could immediately tell what was on his mind.

"Are you thinking about Sayora?" he asked.

"Wh…" Kyo gulped hesitantly as he replayed the incident last night in his mind. "What the hell… happened?" he asked, trying to find the right words to use. He had hidden it from everyone else, but he couldn't hide it from his teacher. Kyo was terrified. "She was trying to kill me… I mean… _really_ trying to kill me…" He turned and looked at the older man. He needed some answers. "What was that… that…" Kyo paused and trailed off. What word was he trying to say? _'Monster?'_ No. He refused to use that word on Sayora.

"_That_…" Kazuma took over, "was the reason Sayora ran away from you that night," he said, referring to the night Kyo had transformed. "_That _was the curse that Sayora was so frightened of. _That_ is the reason Sayora is so afraid to get close to you." Kazuma took a few steps closer to the orange-haired boy. "Do you understand now Kyo? The reasons she had for rejecting you that night?"

The young man was silent.

"Her fear of the curse wasn't just her being paranoid over nothing," Kazuma continued. "Once she turns into that creature, she will attack the one who has become closest to her. Do you realize what this means, Kyo?"

Kyo watched his teacher walk up to his bedside.

"So… now that you've seen what she really is, what will you do? Her curse is quite terrifying, isn't it?" Kazuma asked. "With that kind of thing standing in your way, will you abandon her, Kyo?"

-Main House-

Hatori lit his cigarette and drew in a long, deep breath. He closed his eyes and let the smoke cool in his mouth for a short while before inhaling it into his lungs. He then held it for another short while before slowly exhaling the smoke through his nose.

"Something bothering you?" came Shigure's voice from behind him.

The doctor turned around to see his best friend leaning against the doorway to his office, arms loosely crossed with a small, tired smile on his face. Shigure invited himself in and grabbed a cigarette from the boxful sitting on Hatori's desk before joining him by the opened sliding doors that led outside. As he lit his cigarette, he looked up at the bright blue sky littered with large, fluffy clouds, peacefully floating by. It was such a beautiful day. Too beautiful. Too peaceful. It was as if the world was mocking them, letting them know that it couldn't care less about the predicament they were going through. The rest of the world would simply move on and leave them behind.

"It's rare to see you so troubled over something," Shigure said with a light laugh, trying to lighten up the mood a bit. "What's on your mind?"

Hatori put one of his hands into his lab jacket pocket and sighed quietly to himself. "This is all my fault…"

Shigure gave the doctor a questioning look. "What in the world are you talking about?" he asked curiously, not taking him seriously.

Hatori's gaze was fixed on his backyard. "Sayora called me a traitor."

That single comment made Shigure's lighthearted attitude vanish.

"I was the one who erased her parents' memories. I alone was the one who made all of this possible." He had been thinking that ever since Sayora's outburst. "I erased everyone's memories so thoughtlessly back then. It must be all catching up to me now…" _Just like that time with…_ Hatori looked down, an image of his lost lover flashing through his mind.

"You're not thinking of Kana, are you?" Shigure asked, surprising his friend with her name.

The doctor stared down at his own hand in regret. "This power is like a curse of its own. It must be punishment."

Shigure let out an unamused laugh. "Ha. Punishment?" he asked. "Punishment for _what_?" He glanced at the man standing beside him. This wasn't the Hatori he knew. The normally calm, poised, almost seemingly apathetic doctor now stood with his back slightly hunched over, his eyes cast down toward the floor. He was really beating himself up over everything that had happened. Shigure sighed to himself. He didn't think it was possible for anyone to ever make him feel guilty, but Hatori had managed to do it with ease.

"Want me to tell you something good?" Shigure asked, catching the man's attention. "Everything that happened last night was _my_ fault."

Hatori's eyes widened in shock. He turned to look at Shigure to try to figure out whether he was serious or not, but the look on his face was unreadable. Hatori narrowed his eyes at his cousin. "Shigure, if this is a joke—"

"Oh? But I'm serious," Shigure assured him. "That's why you don't have to feel bad about anything."

Hatori was confused. How was Shigure to blame for _any_ of it? Was this man trying to comfort him? Normally, he was the type to just sit back and listen, throwing in a few lighthearted, wise-guy comments here and there to keep the mood from becoming too heavy… or just for the sake of humoring himself and being irritating. Nonetheless, this unusual show of compassion was rare from Shigure. Unless of course…

"Was this a part of one of your schemes again?"

Shigure looked over at Hatori with a slightly surprised look on his face. "Ahaha…" he laughed with a sheepish, apologetic smile. "Was it that obvious?"

Hatori let out a loud, tired sigh. "How long do you think I've known you?"

"That's why I keep telling you," Shigure said. "There's no need to blame yourself for what happened…" The look in his eyes turned serious. "… Though I must admit, I really didn't expect things to get so out of hand." His voice was solemn, almost remorseful, behind that small, calm, tired, laid-back smile he kept on his face. "I had only planned for Kan-kun and Sayora-chan to bump into each other."

"And where were things supposed to go from _there_?"

Shigre shrugged. "Who knows? It was supposed to be a joyful, tearful reunion between two long-lost siblings," he replied jokingly.

Hatori looked away and lit another cigarette. His gaze was once again fixed on his backyard. "That's rather cruel, even for you."

"Haha… come now. That's a harsh thing to say, don't you think?" Shigure laughed lightly. "Don't say that kind of thing to me right now…" His smile had disappeared. "I actually feel quite bad about the way things turned out." He let the door beside him support his full weight. "So bad, in fact, that I didn't have the heart to come back and face Sayora-chan and Kan-kun right away…"

Hatori turned around and walked back into his office. "You actually feel guilty for what you did?" he asked in a taunting way. "Is hell freezing over any time soon?"

Shigure laughed at his friend's sarcasm.

"What in the world were you thinking?" Hatori asked as he watched the other man stare up at the sky once more.

"Don't you feel it, Hatori? It's slowly coming apart." Shigure paused to put out the cigarette he had hardly smoked. "If we can nudge loose the bond between Akito and Sayora, the tightest, most absolute bond of the zodiac curse, it'll weaken the curse's strength.

"If we use Sayora's family along with Kyo to force her away from Akito, and use Tohru to continue to draw the other members away…" Shigure turned to look at the silent doctor. "Our freedom is barely out of reach Hatori. Just a little more… and it could be within our grasp."

Deep down, Hatori felt ashamed for never having spoken out against Shigure's methods of breaking the curse. There was no guarantee that it was even going to work, and if it were the case that it didn't work, then all of the suffering everyone had to go through thanks to his unorthodox methods would've been for nothing… but Hatori couldn't say that to him. Whatever Shigure was doing, at least he was doing _something_ rather than just sitting around and letting things lie. Besides, Hatori couldn't deny that he wanted nothing more than for the curse to be broken. He just didn't have it in him to hurt others for the sake of breaking the curse.

In a way, Shigure had saved him by becoming the bad guy. Hatori could watch someone break the curse _for _him, and he would never have to lift a finger against anyone. Perhaps that was the one thing that Hatori had come to admire about his cousin. Shigure's ability to push forward without fear of consequence. It was almost frightening, really. It was like he didn't know how to do anything else _but_ push forward, plowing through every hurdle in his path, even at the expense of others. Perhaps, thanks to that ability of his, they would one day possibly gain their freedom…

-Next Chapter's Preview-

Hopeless Chapter 29 – Lost Memories

Sayora's childhood story is finally revealed. Meanwhile, Chiharu's memories of Sayora come rushing back to her after an encounter with Sayora and Akito at the hospital. What will happen to her when she suddenly remembers the child she never thought she had? And also, how will Sayora react when she finally learns the truth behind why she was lied to all those years ago?

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**A/N: **So... sorry for the really crappy description I gave of the wolf monster lol. I googled some images and found this picture www**(DOT)**quileutes**(DOT)**com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/werewolf1-264x300**(DOT)**jpg. This is actually almost exactly what I had pictured in my mind as I was writing the scene =P


	30. The Commencement :Side Story:

**Hopeless Chapter 28.5 – The Commencement (Side Story)**

God stared out at the distant, glowing moon. The night was silent. His banquet had ended a few hours ago.

"I feel you are so far away."

The wolf quietly walked over and stood next to God. "I am right here," she said, looking up at him.

God opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself for a brief second in hesitation. He took a moment to reassure himself that the loyal wolf would never turn its back on him. "… Forever…?" he asked as he turned his head to look at the wolf, his voice almost inaudible.

"God, forever…" the wolf humbly bowed its head. "For me, it is impossible…"

God's eyes widened slightly as if he had just come to a realization. "I see." One day, they would all have to part from this world. "Yes, of course you would think it was impossible," he said as an idea came to him.

The wolf looked at God curiously, wondering what the cause of the delightful look on his face was.

"You need not worry. I can make our banquets eternal," God said with an excited smile. "I will tie us together with an unbreakable bond, all of us, for all of eternity. We will always be together. Not even death will be able to break apart our bonds."

The wolf once again bowed its head, this time apologetically. "God, I cannot…"

God's smile slowly faded away. "What are you saying?"

"It is as I have told you," the wolf replied gently and respectfully. "It is impossible for me."

"Are you going to abandon me?"

"… God, I would never abandon you. But I cannot remain by your side forever. These countless banquets have been fun. Being by your side and being able to protect you has been the greatest of honors. However, there will always come a time when we must part ways."

"You wish to leave me…"

The wolf spoke softly. "I simply wish to be at the side of the one I love."

"The one you love?" God asked quietly.

"God… I wish to be by the cat's side."

God felt heartbroken by the wolf's words. If the wolf can choose to leave him, then surely, the others can do the same. God simply couldn't bring himself to accept the thought of being all alone again.

A tear rolled down God's cheek. "You have betrayed me."

The wolf was taken back. "God… I would never…"

"If you, my protector, vanish from my side, the others will eventually follow you and do the same. If you leave me, you will bring an end to all of my banquets… and I will be alone again."

The wolf closed its eyes and lowered its head in sadness. "God, you have misunderstood…"

However, God did not listen. He put a curse on the wolf… a curse that would ensure its loyalty to him. The wolf would never again be able to turn its back on him. "You will protect our bonds from the outside. Should any threat befall my joyous banquets, you will be the one to stop them. However, most importantly of all, should anything come between our bond, yours… and mine…" More tears rolled down God's face. "… You will destroy them all."

And so, being the farthest away from the zodiac, yet at the same time, being the closest to God, the wolf monster was born…

Many, many years later, during one of God's festive banquets, the cat collapsed. After everyone drank to their eternal vow, and after the cat's speech, when all the other animals had already left, God remained by the cat's side.

"Why…" God asked sadly. "Why do you forsake me?"

"God… I have not forsaken you," the cat spoke. "… But I do not want _eternity_. The time we spent together was irreplaceable. Being by your side was happiness for me. However, that is enough."

God didn't understand what the cat was trying to say.

"We have all gathered here freely of our own will. If we are to be reborn, and if we are to meet again, then let us meet in the way we did in this lifetime… freely. Perhaps next time, all of us, you and I, everyone else… and the wolf… perhaps we can all meet under the sun. We can be surrounded by many new meetings."

Upon hearing the wolf's name, God understood what the cat meant. The cat didn't want to be tied down by a promise that didn't include the wolf. "Even you, the first to be by my side… even you are going to betray me…?"

The cat was confused.

"Has your love for the wolf caused you to betray me? Is that why you no longer wish to stay by my side…?"

The cat suddenly realized that God had misunderstood him. He had only meant that they should all be free to meet as many people as they wanted… to _live_ as freely as they wanted. Promising an eternal banquet with only the thirteen of them would only become a burden as time went on. Surely, the wolf had realized this as well. Surely… those were the words the wolf had wanted to say to God.

"God…" However, it was too late. The cat had breathed its last breath. Its final words to God would forever be lost…

In his grief, God put a curse on the cat. If the cat didn't want to be a part of his everlasting banquets, then he, like the wolf, would simply watch from afar. They would never again to be included in their banquets. They would never again be able to fall in love and betray him.

All along, God's words to the wolf had been right. It wasn't death that would be powerful enough to shatter the chains that held them together or drive them away from each other. It was something greater, something that far transcended death itself… but that was something God wouldn't come to understand for hundreds of years to come…

* * *

A/N: I've always talked vaguely about the curse of the wolf and how it came to be but I've never adressed it directly. This was a story I wrote to explain just a little bit of the connection shared between God, the cat, and the wolf, and how the curse of the wolf and the cat came to be (in my version of course =P)

Hope you enjoyed reading it! And please leave a review if you have time! Thanks for reading =)


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